Armor
by CsillaDream
Summary: Mikaela is a Reaper, who is sent to the human world as punishment for skipping out on his work, but what happens when he becomes friends with the person he's supposed to reap? How is he supposed to separate work from his personal life when death is constantly around him? [ MikaYuu AU ]
1. Chapter 1

**Csilla: I swear these two just keep me writing~ I stumbled upon this prompt and instantly I thought of Mika and Yuu**

 **Enjoy~**

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Death is a funny thing. Everyone is made to believe that once you die, there is a white light. There isn't. There's just a feeling of weightlessness and emptiness until the decision of what to do with your soul is decided. Will you be a Reaper, collecting the soon-to-be dead and their souls? Will you be an Angel, bringing departed souls back to life inside a new body? Or will you be one of the souls that are forced to go through the process all over again?

I was chosen as a Reaper. Why? I haven't any clue. I always thought Reapers were evil people sent to take lives before they had a chance to really live and do something with that life. But me, I was a good child. Smiling and friendly despite my home life. My parents abused me from the time I was born until they finally gathered up the courage to toss me out of a moving vehicle. The last few seconds of my life were still crystal clear in my mind. The sight of the other car. The screeching of their tires as they tried to stop. The pain of the initial impact, muffled voices, and then emptiness.

"Mika-chan~" My eyes immediately narrowed as that sickly-sweet voice filled my ears and before the source of that voice could put his disgusting arms around me, I pulled out my sword and aimed it at him.

Putting his hands up defensively, "My my~ awfully touchy, as usual" Ferid Bathory, another Reaper, who was the one that picked me to become a Reaper in the first place.

"What is it?" I lowered my weapon slightly, my gaze hard and cold – a complete opposite of how they used to be when I was alive.

Crossing his arms across his chest, obviously disappointed with my lack of reaction, Ferid sighed, "Krul wants to see you,"

"Fine…" With that I walked away, not quick enough to show how much I did not want to remain anywhere near him or slow enough for him to think he was invited to follow me, until I found Krul's office with its door wide open.

Krul was one of the Reaper leaders, she oversees all the deaths in Japan, and according to rumor has been around for thousands of years. Although every time I had to see her, I believed those rumor less and less.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked as I stepped inside the doorway and stood outside, waiting for her to respond so I could step further inside.

Krul turned, her long pink hair rustle with the movement, and the moment she saw me, she stood up: "Yes, come inside Mika" She spoke with a maturity that was far too much for her physical appearance.

I nodded before stepping inside, shutting the door behind me and walking up to her desk. Even standing Krul barely came up to my chest.

"I have a job for you," she slid a folder across her desk towards me and when she lifted her hand, I grabbed it and leafed through it. I hated this part. I hated this job.

As I skimmed over the information before me, one thing caught my attention – the person's date of death: "Krul, he isn't scheduled to die for few more years…"

"I know, but you've been handing off your jobs to others and I can't have a Reaper who isn't reaping so think of this as a punishment," A devilish smile spread on her face as she spoke, but the mask I had built up over the past six years kept any human emotion I may have felt completely covered. A perfect poker face.

"You are to live among the humans, collecting any souls that dies when you are around, but your main focus will be the child in that photograph… You're dismissed," Krul concluded, seeing that she wasn't going to break my poker face.

I nodded once more before heading out, irritated. If I didn't want to reap, shouldn't they be looking to get rid of me instead of sending me out there to work?

"Stupid Reapers…" I grumbled as I brushed past my supposed-comrades in the halls until I reached my room.

Protocol demands that once given a job, a Reaper must head out and in my case, I wouldn't be back for years, which meant I had to pack what little I owned. I groaned as I entered my room, but upon seeing the already packed suitcase and folded note on my bed, I knew who had been in my room. Only one person is stupid enough to do so.

"I'm gonna kill him," I spat as I grabbed both the suitcase and note roughly, crumpling the note quite a bit, before heading out.

I made the decision that if I saw Ferid on my way to the terminal, I would stab him for entering my room yet again while I wasn't there. Although luck seemed to be on the annoying prick's side, the terminal was in sight which meant the bastard would be fine for the next few years. I stepped inside the tube-shaped elevator, as the doors closed, I looked through the folder Krul had given me until I found what I was looking for: a barcode.

The barcode contained all the information about where I was heading, where I was to be dropped off at and at what time during the day. I placed the barcode up to the scanner on the side panel of the elevator until I heard a soft beep before I stuff the folder in my suitcase.

With time to spare, I decided to read the note –maybe it would give me a reason to kill the bastard completely-, which had been clearly written by Ferid:

' _Mika-chan~_

 _I wish I could have seen you off_

 _I know how much you love our time spent together~_

 _So here's a little gift:_

 _I heard that Krul was making you go to the human world for a couple of years so I packed you some clothes, cash, and a couple of essentials humans seem to enjoy_

 _See aren't I amazing?_

 _Take care~_

 _F.B._ '

By the end, I could feel my body shaking with rage –Yes, I definitely going to kill him when I returned. I crumpled the note up before dropping it to the floor. Glancing over to the side panel, I would be in the human realm soon and looking down at my current attire, I would have to change.

Opening the suitcase, I grabbed what seemed to be the most normal thing the bastard packed: a plain black t-shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of sneakers. By the time the elevator ding'd to inform me I was at my destination, I was dressed and placing the clothes I had been formerly wearing in my suitcase.

I pressed the button to open the door before poking my head out the doorway to check for any signs of life, when I saw no one I stepped out allowing the doorway to Purgatory to immediately disappear.

"I should start by finding a place to live first…" I grumbled as I walked down what appeared to be an alleyway until I came upon a bustling sidewalk, but before I could step out into the foot traffic something in my suitcase started ringing.

Digging through it, I finally found a cell phone at the bottom; the caller ID said 'Krul' in bright letters. Groaning, I pressed the green button before putting the phone to my ear, "What Krul?"

"Ah! Mika, I forgot to mention I found you a place to live in the same building as your target," Her voice filtered through the speaker, clearer than I expected it would.

Closing the suitcase once more, I spat out: "Nice of you to mention it… So where is it?"

There was some static before Krul spoke: "Hmm, it should be right beside where you were dropped off… Imperial Apartments"

I stepped out slightly into the traffic before me then turned around to get a good look at the buildings formerly beside me, "Imperial Apartments, I don't see it!"

"Um, it's right here…" A voice spoke up beside me, I glanced over and the first thing I noticed were the pair of remarkably vibrant green eyes that seemed to glow from underneath the raven-black hair that framed a sharp jawline.

Krul's voice became background noise, as my attention turned completely to the raven-haired newcomer. I lowered the phone away from ear and followed where his finger pointed to the building to our left and sure enough, 'Imperial Apartments' was on a sign right out of my line of sight.

"Girlfriend?" The raven asked, pointing to the phone in my hands and it was then I remembered I was still on the phone with Krul.

Shaking my head, I responded "Nope, grandma" then I hung up before Krul could angrily (and loudly) yell through the phone at me.

"So did you just move here?" I couldn't stop the small smile that spread on my face as the raven's questions kept coming.

"You know, you ask a lot of questions when you haven't even properly introduced yourself…" My comment to anyone passing by, probably sounded rude, but the raven laughed regardless and I mentally noted that I liked that sound. Quite a bit.

It was strange. After dying, I couldn't find anything to invoke any sort of positive response. Not my favorite food. Not my favorite show. Nothing until now.

"Sorry… Yuuichiro Hyakuya, I actually live here…" He responded with another laugh. Yes, I definitely liked that sound.

Shifting the suitcase in my hand, "Well then, Yuuichiro Hyakuya, mind showing me where I can talk to the landlord?" I asked, a slight mocking tone in my voice.

"Just Yuu is fine… and yeah, Guren should be home. Follow me," I followed him up the stone steps and watched as he buzzed himself in before speaking, "Every tenant is given a passcode to get into the door, but if you should ever forget it: just buzz someone and let them know. Though try not to buzz Kimizuki, he won't let you in even if he _knows_ you live here"

He held the door open for me before quickening his pace again so he was by my side again. The inside of the building was plain and seemed quite small for an apartment complex, but with the way Yuu was talking about the place I could tell he liked living here.

"Guren lives on the first floor, the second floor is where I live, Yoichi lives across the hall from me and Kimizuki lives beside him… If I'm not mistaken, there's an empty place over by the girls… Uh, two girls live on the other end of the hall" As we walked and talked –well, Yuu talked- I look around at the surroundings I would have to get used to for the next couple of years.

"…and here's Guren's place," Without warning, Yuu knocked on the light wooden door that had a brass '1A' nailed to it.

Within minutes the door opened and an older raven with violet eyes stepped out, his eyes immediately narrowing upon seeing them. My eyes, on reflex, hardened before I noticed his gaze wasn't directed at me, but rather Yuu.

"What do you want, brat?" Guren crossed his arms, clearly Yuu had a habit of bothering their landlord, I deduced.

Yuu's hand swept over in my direction, "This guy wanted to talk with you," his statement caused violet eyes to ghost over to me before they stared down at me.

Clearing my throat, "I was informed by _my grandma_ that she had gotten me a place here," I realized the moment I called Krul, my grandma again, that it was going to be harder to keep a straight face with that lie.

"Name?"

"Mikaela Shindo,"

"Oh yeah," ducking inside for a moment before he reappeared with a set of keys in his palm, "Here's your keys… this brat can show you to your room… Up the stairs to the right" Without another word, Guren tossed the keys to Yuu before he shut the door in our faces; the action immediately gained a rather angry reaction from Yuu, who banged on the door yelling about his mannerism towards a new tenant – me.

I sighed, the suitcase suddenly feeling heavy in my hand, "How about we head up?" hoping he would get the message that I just wanted to put this damn thing down.

"Sorry about that," turning away from Guren's door, "He's not normally that short especially with newcomers… Usually he harasses them and wants to know their whole life story…" He lead the way to a staircase hidden from view of the front door, we climbed two flights of stairs before we walked through an archway that lead into a plain hallway. Light wooden doors slightly scattered down both sides of the hallway.

"He said it was down this way, right?" I pointed down the hall to the right of us, earning a nod before Yuu lead the way talking the whole time.

"I don't even know what he's talking about… every room down here is filled… unless my unknown neighbor suddenly moved…" Something told me he hadn't meant to say that last part out loud because we came to a stop outside a door with a '218B' in brass nailed to it.

Taking out a set of keys, I watched as Yuu inserted a silver one into the lock and a soft click echoed off the walls around us. He pushed open the door before muttering, "That's strange…"

"What is?" Again it seemed he hadn't meant to say that out loud and the stammering only further proved my point.

"W-Well… i-its j-just… remember how I said the only open room on this floor is on the opposite end of the hall from me," I nodded in recollection of the conversation, "Well, this is the room beside mine… but we watched all this stuff get brought in a couple months ago…" Yuu explained, flicking on the nearest light switch.

Sure enough instead of finding an empty apartment, I found myself staring at a comfy-looking couch, a TV, a dining table with a couple of chairs, the kitchen seemed to have a couple of gadgets I hadn't expected to see. And the bedroom and bathroom was likely furnished as well.

I wasn't sure what to say, but one thing was clear: Krul had been planning this for some time. Damn bitch. Yuu, however, continued to gawk: "I can't believe how much stuff you already have in here… Your grandma must really love you," a laugh, "Man, wait until I tell the guys… We are so hanging out here from now on, Mikaela" I could feel another small smile spreading on my face as I watched him.

"Mika. And that is, if I ever meet these friends of yours…"

"What?"

"Call me Mika,"

"Then let's go introduce you to my friends… Mika"

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 **Csilla: This won't be a long fic -maybe a couple of chapters max, but who knows~ :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Csilla: As per request of my fiance, who I showed all the chapters I have written thus far (I'm actually working on chapter 5, woo~) and after each one he told me I should post it ._.**

 **Warning: the timeline jumps around a little...**

 **Second Warning: I have a slightly depressing playlist constantly playing while I write MikaYuu fluff/angst/misc things I wish would happen but probably won't...**

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Living in the human world had its up: staying up late with friends, laughing and joking with friends, eating mountains of junk food with friends. Despite my initial feelings about being sent here, I was beginning to grow a soft spot for those still alive. And a jealousy for them.

It's been two years since I was assigned my mission; the folder containing all the info I needed was locked away. After meeting Yuu's friends, I made a connection I wish I hadn't. Every time I heard something about something bad happening in my target's life, I felt a pain in my chest. This definitely felt like a punishment now. Only Krul would find forcing a Reaper to live beside his target, who wouldn't be dying for a coupe of years, a fair and just punishment.

"Mika, you home?" I was pulled from my musings and looked up just in time to see Yuu walking through the front door as if he lived here as well.

My eyes narrowed playfully, "I thought I made you give me back the spare you made without my permission" Somewhere throughout the first year I had spent with Yuu and his friends, I began acting the way I used to when I was alive.

"I, of course, gave you that one… but you underestimate me, my friend" Yuu laughed -I still liked that sound- before a comfortable silence fell between us.

As if it breaking the silence my cell phone came to life, buzzing animatedly on my dining table, but one glance was more than enough to tell me the reason for the call: "Hello, _grandma_ "

I could almost feel the rage through the phone and her tone left little to the imagination of how red it was, "I swear I'm going to quadruple your workload if you keep calling me that…"

I merely smiled, knowing fully well that I would drop more than half of it off on another Reaper, as she took my silence as an invitation to continue on: "Anyway, although this goes against my better judgment… Ferid made a good argument that you would no doubt murder whomever took this job so instead I'm giving you this one. There's a soul that will need collecting today, a man's soul-"

"Could you get to the point?" I had to lower my voice slightly so Yuu, who had crashed onto my couch, wouldn't hear the irritation in my tone.

There was a long sigh before, "Mika… It's your dad's soul" and I was sure the room became chilled in that instance, but before I could growl out any of my anger Yuu was in front of me.

"Hey, you okay? Mika…?" I blinked and for a moment, I wondered the same thing. Was I okay?

Lowering my face, "I gotta go… Talk to you another time," I ended the call with Krul before glancing up to flash a weak smile at my worried friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine now…"

This wasn't the first time Krul had called me to tell me that a soul nearby needed reaping nor was this the first time I had to do so without needing to be told. Because of that, I had everyone under the impression I was squeamish about blood and I couldn't handle death at all. Boy was that the furthest from the truth. In the past two years I had reaped twelve souls –most, which occurred during a holiday- and each time, I couldn't shake a feeling I was being watched when I did my job. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find any evidence to back up my instinct.

"So you ready or what? Kimizuki wants to hit the library before the lunch rush appears," In spur of the moment –and slight boredom-, I applied at the local college. After all the last time I was in school or doing homework, I was twelve. And still alive.

Despite the six years I spent as a Reaper, I quickly learned that the best way to pass the time was to study and read. Especially since I wasn't interested in reaping and often gave my jobs away to other Reapers.

"Just about," I stood up from my spot and slung my bag over my shoulder before smiling, "Now I'm ready"

We headed out, soon meeting up with the others who were waiting on the first floor of the building.

"About time, you two" Kimizuki scoffed before heading out.

The girls were the next to chime in with their nonsense, "Aw~ but Shiho, love birds are always late" Shinoa began was a chuckle.

"That's right, Shinoa" Mitsuba added with a grin before the two linked arms and followed the irritable rosette.

Yoichi ended the teasing as usual, "Guys…" before he, too, followed the three in front of him leaving myself and Yuu to be at the end.

Which was fine, we had grown pretty close over the past two years. We were best friends. We told each other everything –well, _almost_ everything. I could never tell him that everything I told him about my life from the day I died until I showed up here was not the whole truth. There's no way anyone would believe that they had befriend a Reaper sent to the human world, who had actually died when they were twelve because their parents threw them out of a car and into oncoming traffic.

Though I had told him about the abuse I underwent as a child, but that was only because Yuu told me about his own childhood –which was oddly not much different than mine. He had also been abused, almost to the point where he would have died if someone hadn't decided at the moment to knock on the front door. Instead of retrying, his parents left him at an orphanage and later that year he changed his last name to that of the orphanage that cared for him. He still spoke to most of the children there and to those that had already been adopted by new loving families.

We were turning onto the main road when I felt a prickle on the back of my neck, I glanced around –my eyes glowing slightly- until they stopped on a man sitting on a bus stop bench. His time was almost up, which meant I had to find an excuse to get away from everyone.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom real quick… I'll catch up with you guys," Without waiting for an answer (or snide remarks about how lame my excuse was), I bolted into a nearby building. I immediately headed for the bathroom and locked myself in a stall before I focused my mind until I felt weightless again.

Glancing back, I saw myself sitting (looking as if I had fallen asleep) before I slipped through the door and ran over to where I had saw the man from before. Upon reaching the bench, I saw the man hadn't moved so I took a spot beside him before turning to face him. He was almost how I remembered him; his hair was graying now, there were wrinkles on his face, but his eyes were still hard to meet.

"Hello father… Looks like it's your turn now," My voice was monotone as I spoke before I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and with little effort, toss him forward just in time for him to go through the same thing I had.

Blood splashed everywhere (except on me) upon the moment of impact and moments later, I watched the man's soul rise from the body. A recently departed soul goes through the same stages: denial, anger, sadness, and finally regret/acceptance. The latter emotion depended on how they felt about their life. Did they live or did they hide in the shadows?

The man turned and upon meeting my gaze, he stormed over to me, his voice just like I remembered: "Who the hell are you? Why the hell am I laying there on the ground? Oh god, am I dead? No, I shouldn't… I was supposed to-"

"Shut up," I grounded out, clenching my fist tightly. This was one of the moments I was desperately waiting for and one of the reasons I occasionally took on a job here and there. So I could find my parents and curse them with every fiber of my being.

"What's your-"

"I said 'shut up', do you have any idea how horrible of a person you have to be to toss your own child out of a moving car into oncoming traffic? Did you even care if I lived? Or were you and mother just that desperate to rid yourself of me? Did you even cry at my funeral? Hell, did either of you even bother attending?!"

"M-Mikaela… I-Is that you?" There was fear in his voice and I felt elated. I was glad he was finally on the receiving end. That he was scared for his life instead of it being the other way around.

My eyes narrowed, "Yeah, I died that day… became a Reaper and now I'm here to collect your soul," I unclenched my hands and in my right, a katana appeared from thin air.

Gripping it, I raised my weapon and stabbed my father straight through the spot where his heart would be if he were still alive before whispering: "Welcome to Purgatory, father"

His soul vanished in a red light and I released my weapon, letting it disappear once more. I sighed. I didn't get the relief I always thought I would feel when at least one of them was at death's door, but my musings were cut short when I felt that stare again. No one aside from other Reapers or Angel are able to see me in my Reaper form and again, no matter how hard I looked no one seemed suspicious. I headed back to the bathroom, where my body sat waiting for me to return. Once back inside, I stretched –every time I left my body, it always felt heavy when I returned- before I stepped outside only to come face-to-face with Yuu.

"Y-Yuu? W-What are you doing here?" I asked as I glanced around to see if anyone else was with him, but to no avail – it was just us.

My mind raced, this wasn't the first time that the first person I ran into after returning to my body was Yuu. 'Had he seen anything' was the biggest question on my mind, but a more logical part of my head reminded me that there was no way. Nothing live could see, hear, or feel me once I was in my Reaper form.

Vibrant green eyes narrowed, "Mika, if I had just gone on ahead with the others, you would have gotten lost as usual…" Yuu explained as a smile spread on his face.

I couldn't argue with that statement – I did have a horrible sense of direction, but still: "Couldn't you have just waited outside for me?"

"I was, but then there was an accident so I rushed inside to make sure you were still here…" He explained before grabbing my wrist and dragging me outside so he could point to the crowd in front of the building, "I was afraid you somehow got past me and gotten yourself killed," He confessed as he stared out aimlessly at the crowd.

"Yuu…"

"Sorry, I guess you could say I have some illogical fears when it comes to the people I care about" I was taken back slightly by his comment and more so when he admitted to caring about me. It was morbidly funny. No one cared when I was alive, but now that I'm dead there is someone.

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 **Csilla: Welp, like I said the ideas just keep coming to me... if anyone is wants to listen to the playlist, it can be found here - [minus the spaces]**

 **8tracks com** **/csilladream/armor-mikayuu**


	3. Chapter 3

**Csilla: Yes, this chapter is sort of meant to be short :)**

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"Oh my~ is Yuu _actually_ expecting chocolates this year?" Shinoa's teasing remark made the rest of us laugh as my best friend did his best to angrily deny the accusation. When Yuu realized he wasn't going to be able to stop the rest of us from laughing and teasing him, he did the only thing he could direct the conversation onto someone else.

"What about Mika? He's _always_ gets chocolates every year even when no one knew who he was…" I tossed the throw pillow near me at his head, knowing it was already too late. The girls would be teasing me now.

A mischievous smirk spread across Mitsuba's face, "Yes, we almost forgot about Mister Popular over here, didn't we Shinoa?"

A matching smirk, "Why yes~ we did… Do you think we'll see a continuation of last year's incident?" At the mention of the event of last year, my face flushed with color and one look to the other person involved said he, too, was embarrassed by it.

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 _:: flashback ::_

"How is it you always end up getting all these chocolates? I swear this is more than last year…" Yuu complained as he helped me carry all the chocolates I had been given throughout the day.

Laughing, "Who knows, are you jealous?" I teased him as we walked home discussing mostly the lack of chocolates Yuu had received and the overabundance of ones I had received.

We were walking up the steps when I asked, "What's the point of this holiday anyways?"

Vibrant green eyes widened as Yuu stepped up to the keypad, "Are you serious? Man, I wish I could be that indifferent… Valentine's Day is a day where girls give chocolates to the person they love," he spoke as he typed in his passcode before the door clicked open.

"That's absurd… Shouldn't anyone be able to give chocolates to anyone for the sake of doing so? Without feelings determining who should get some and who shouldn't," It was true, I couldn't understand why people made a big fuss out of Valentine's Day. To me, everyone should get chocolate.

With that thought in mind, I dug through one of the bags I was currently carrying until I pulled out one of the wrapped gifts that had a wrapping paper that reminded me of Yuu's eyes. It was a vibrant green with a white ribbon tied around it.

"Here," I held it out towards him, but instead of accepting it Yuu's gaze hardened and he shook his head.

"You shouldn't do that… it takes a lot of courage for someone to give chocolates to another so you should just accept the gift,"

"Oh,"

"Thanks, though, for the offer"

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"We all know you wanted to take that chocolate from him and profess your undying love for one another," Somewhere in the past two and a half years I had been here, Mitsuba had begun claiming me and Yuu were in love with one another.

And unfortunately it wasn't just her that was under this impression, "And let's not forget that our dear Mika has been attempting to make homemade chocolate~ all by himself" Shinoa chimed in, she was likely the culprit that first put the idea into Mitsuba's head.

And as if they weren't enough, Kimizuki and Yoichi occasionally made a remark stating they also shared their mindset: "C'mon guys… leave them alone," Yoichi's teasing tone was enough to get a reaction from Yuu, who whined in protest.

"Not you too, Yoichi"

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 **Csilla: Leave a review, concern, etc - I always enjoy reading them :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Csilla: I can't believe how much love this fic is getting~ o/o (especially on AO3!)**

 **Warning: This chapter is fluff~ I'm not responsible for cavities! :D**

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Today was Valentine's Day, I had gotten up early to taste-test the chocolate I had painstakingly made. These were chocolates for friends, nothing more. I could hear shuffling out in the hall, I poked my head out to see the girls heading for the stairs: "Mitsuba… Shinoa, wait up" I called out to them before waving them over.

I stepped back inside my apartment to grab the two small bags I had made for them, turning around I saw they had just arrived at my door.

"Here," I held out the cellophane-wrapped chocolates, tied by a ribbon –purple for Shinoa and yellow for Mitsuba.

Their eyes lit up and they eagerly accepted the gifts, "I know it's customary for the girls to give chocolates, but both of you are my friends so-"

"Oh~ so these are obligatory chocolates" Shinoa teased, but regardless placed the bag into his coat pocket.

Mitsuba chirped, "So this is how you get all those chocolates, smooth Mika~" before both girls giggled then went on their way, shutting the door on their way out.

With two gone that left three: a red one for Kimizuki, a white one for Yoichi and a vibrant green for Yuu. I quickly grabbed the two for Yoichi and Kimizuki before darting into the hall, I quietly placed each bag into their respective mail slot and listened as they fell with a soft thud.

I would give Yuu his chocolate later today. We had class at the same time, after all. With not much else to do, I plopped on the couch and turned on the TV - there was usually something mindlessly entertaining on during the day.

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Growing frustrated with my surprising inability to give Yuu the chocolates, I stormed down the hall, brushing past all the girls who were trying to give me their chocolate. I had to find Yuu. I almost didn't see him as I was walking past the library, but sure enough there he was. And he wasn't alone. By the look on his face, he was getting his wish – getting chocolates from a girl. The bag in my coat felt heavy for some reason and I wondered briefly if I should just walk away and get rid of these in the nearest trashcan.

No, curiosity was getting the better of me and so I walked over, but kept out of sight from Yuu and the girl he was with. I was right behind a large tree when I could finally hear their conversation.

"Hyakuya, I-I've a-always l-liked y-you…" I was surprised –not about the confession, but by my reaction to hearing it- and a strong urge to grab Yuu and run welled up inside me.

It was strange, foreign, but remarkably enough, I welcomed it. I was about to step away from the tree to make my presence known when I heard him respond and suddenly I was frozen in my tracks: "Thank you, but I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings, there's already someone I like…"

"But I can be anything you want,"

"No, you're perfect the way you are and I know there's someone who would return your feelings"

"Is it because I'm a girl? Is it because I'm not Mikaela?" Now I really couldn't move, did everyone think we were in love with each other? How on Earth had we convinced so many people of that? Or did Mitsuba and Shinoa gossip until every girl was believing the same thing?

There was a light snap of a twig and I glanced up to see Yuu passing by, when his eyes met mine I watched his face reddened, "H-How l-long ha-have y-you b-been th-there?"

"…not long…" I mumbled as I realized I had accidentally tuned out the rest of his conversation with the girl. What did he say? Did he dismiss it as a rumor spread likely by two 'boy love'-crazed girls? Or had he-?

Reaching up to scratch his cheek, his vibrant green eyes looked everywhere but at me: "G-Good… you ready to head home?" he stuttered before completely changing the topic.

I nodded before we headed home, his chocolate burning a hole in my coat the whole trip until finally I blurted out, "Who do you like?" but instead it came out as "So how come you rejected her?" and immediately I wanted to hit myself.

Yuu turned to face me, a step above me, and I could see the gears turning behind his eyes: "So you heard her confession, huh?"

"The last part of it, yeah"

"Never took you for the eavesdropping kind," I pouted, he was avoiding my question, and waited for him to continue: "I can't lie to someone saying I can return their feelings when I'm fully aware of how I feel about someone else…"

"Who?"

Instead of answering, Yuu smiled down at me: "When it's the right time, you'll be the first to know… I promise, Mika" before he turned and proceeded to climb the remaining steps so he could type in his passcode.

"Yuu," It was now or never; I rushed up the steps two at a time and the moment I was beside him, I pulled out the cellophane-wrapped chocolate.

I watched his vibrant green eyes widened before meeting my gaze, "Mika…? I thought I told you not to give away anyone else's-"

"I know… but this is for you... from me"

"Oh" I never expected such a short answer would say so much. He was surprised –almost speechless- by my gesture. He wiggled a hand out of his coat pocket and raised it to his face, but not before I caught a glimpse of the red tinting his face. He was embarrassed. His other hand held out as an invite for me to hand him the gift I had worked on. I placed the gift gingerly in his hand as a smile broke out on my face.

"Thank you, I'll give you something on White's Day..." He mumbled, never taking his hand away from his face, and I couldn't help but think he looked kind of cute.

Laughing, "I look forward to it," I heard the door click open before I push it open, I was a little amused to see Yuu rush inside, pocketing the chocolate before anyone else could see. We headed upstairs in silence, which ended the moment we found our friends in the hall waiting for us.

The girls exchanged looks before Shinoa asked, "So~ did Yuu get any chocolates?"

"Don't be silly, of course he didn't" Mitsuba teased before the girls broke out in a fit of giggles.

Clearing his throat, "Actually I got two," his statement ceasing the girls' giggling, who glanced at one another before Mitsuba spoke.

"Mika's chocolate doesn't count so you only got one," Vibrant green eyes shot over in my direction, Yuu's face turning red again as he sputtered trying to find the words he wanted to say.

"Wa-wait... h-how d-does sh-she...?"

Yoichi seemed to see where he was going and responded, "That's because we all got chocolate from Mika this morning," which calmed the stuttering coming from Yuu, who if I wasn't imaging things seemed a little disappointed.

Though the calmness didn't last long, Shinoa made sure of that: "But then again, I don't think we were given our chocolates with much enthusiasm~ He only called after us and made us walk the whole way to his door to get ours, right Mitsuba?"

"Yeah"

"Now that you mention it, both me and Kimizuki found ours sticking out of our mail slots in our front doors..." Yoichi added, it was obvious even to me what they were hinting at. I had gone out of my way to personally give Yuu his chocolate. I had run up a small flight of stairs to hand him the homemade chocolates I made for him. Needless to say I could feel my face heating up at how it now looked for us - maybe this was why everyone assumed we were in love with each other.

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 **Csilla: I actually wanted to end this with Yuu thanking Mika for the chocolates, but it seemed too short so I just kept writing and just went with it :p**


	5. Chapter 5

**Csilla: Hi, so its been a week since the last chapter (and those that know me well know this is a miracle) and just an update - I have chapter seven fully written, it just needs tweaking :D**

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The rest of February passed with no trouble, but the first week of March I found myself face-to-face with the last person I expected to see in my living room. Stretched out on my couch was Krul, dressed in a short summer dress with a pair of leggings underneath - clothes more fitting for her physical appearance, in my opinion.

Behind me I could hear the others dropping their bags off and soon they would be heading for my place so we could hang out like we always did after all of our classes let out. I did not have a lot of time before one of them showed up, "What are you doing here?" my voice was monotone and for a moment, I wondered if that was really what I sounded like before I came here.

"Just checking up on you…"

"A call would have sufficed,"

"But then I wouldn't have been able to see your face," She sneered as she stood up with the grace of a full-grown lady, "besides I'm here to end your punishment…"

I was shocked, why the sudden change of heart? Krul didn't get where she was by ending things sooner than she initial planned to. She was cold-hearted and relentless when it came to the torment of others, so this was unlike her.

"Why?" I asked, earning a mildly amused look from her.

"Are you actually enjoying your punishment? My, I never took you for a masochist~" She snickered, but her act suddenly fell as her eyes zoned in on door and before I glance back she spoke again: "Whose there?"

By the time I glanced back, Yuu was stepping into the doorway: "Oh hey, are you a relative of Mika?" It didn't sound like he had been eavesdropping so why did Krul sound so guarded when she called out to him?

Her face twisted into a charming (but disgustingly sweet) smile as she replied, "Yes, I'm Mika's little sister~"

"How cute," I watched as he turned to me, a small pout forming across his features, "And you said you were an only child, how could you forget to mention such an adorable little sister?"

I glanced over and was caught off-guard when I saw she was glaring… at Yuu, but the moment he turned back to her that disgustingly sweet smile was back on her face.

"I'll tell everyone you have company… See you tomorrow, Mika" Before I could argue that he should stay and Krul should leave, Yuu was already gone.

"Who is he?" Something in her voice seemed off, I glanced over to her – Krul was staring at the door with an odd look in her eyes.

I sighed, "Just my neighbor…" as I walked over and placed my bag on the kitchen table before heading back into the living room, where I found Krul sitting again.

"Why are you ending this? I haven't completed my job…" I was finding it hard to believe that there was anything that could persuade her to end a punishment before it could end.

Her fingers reached up to play with the ends of her hair, "Well it's been brought to my attention that you been getting _cozy_ with a particular human… Though my source refused to give a name stating he wanted to be sure before he did," She seemed disinterested and something told me I wasn't going to like what was coming next: "Whoever it is, that my source _thinks_ you're getting too close to… kill them"

"Whoever your source is, is wrong… I've been doing my job this whole time. I've kept my eye on my target and any other souls that dies near me. I don't have time for anything else,"

"So there's no issue about leaving the 14th then?"

"No, none…" With that Krul left me with my poker face. And my heavy chest. What was I going to do? Should I say goodbye to Yuu and the others? Or leave without a word? No. I should at least say goodbye to Yuu, he's done so much to help me fit in here.

I kept my mouth shut about the reason for Krul's visit, dodging the topic whenever it was brought up. The first week was the hardest. By the beginning of the second week, Yuu wasn't around much. It was odd considering he was the one, who always stayed the latest and arrived the earliest. It was always for the same reason, which only further our suspicions about his actions. Shinoa and Mitsuba claimed it had something to do with a girl. Or me, but Kimizuki dismissed that with the remark that Yuu hadn't spoken to me much this week. I won't deny it kind of hurt to know that I wasn't imagining it. Yuu was avoiding me. Had he overheard mine and Krul's conversation? Doubtful, he would have told everyone.

The fourteenth arrived, my things were already packed and most of it was sent back to Purgatory –apparently the furnishings were my award for a 'job well done' if I survived and did my job properly. All I had left were my college books, a bag of clothes, and my cell phone. The latter being something I had no need for once I was back, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it just yet.

I stepped out into the hall, it was midday so mostly everyone was at class and wouldn't be home until well after I disappeared. I stopped outside of Yuu's door and whispered, "Goodbye Yuu," before I headed downstairs to turn in my key.

I was halfway out the door when I heard: "Mika, wait!" making me turn on my heels, my eyes widening. Yuu ran over to me, but before I could speak he glared up at me: "Why is your place empty? Were you planning on leaving without telling any of us?"

I lowered my face, "I'm going back home…" feeling a sense of shame for agreeing to leave so willingly. I felt like I should have fought more. For my mission? No, that just didn't feel right. For my friends? That felt closer, but still not nearly enough. For-

"Why Mika? This is your home…"

"I don't really have a choice"

"If it's about money, you can move in with me" Again I felt my eyes widen, the thought of living with Yuu was a lot to process and I was sure color was flooding my cheeks.

I let out a breathless chuckle, looking away to the outside: "If only it were something as small as that…"

A silence fell between them, but this time Yuu broke it: "Then maybe... hopefully, this will convince you to stay" before he forcibly pushed a small box into my hands.

He lowered his head, his bangs covering most of his face, which left me staring awestruck at the small box in my hands. I quietly thanked him before I carefully opened it, inside I found a key with a light blue ribbon tied to it. I gingerly picked it up and almost dropped it when Yuu spoke: "It's a-a k-key t-to m-my pl-place… You know, since I had one to yours"

My heart almost jumped right through my chest, it made no sense. It's just a key so why am I so happy? Why do I want to do nothing more than to hug him? And thank him until he gets annoyed and tries to push me away? Why do I want to stay so much now even if that means going against Krul's order? And why am I even considering staying when I know that will put Yuu and the others in danger?

"…okay" Now I'm not sure who was more surprised: Yuu, who didn't seem to expect me to answer with such a short response, or me? My head felt fuzzy and I was sure I wasn't thinking anymore when the words 'Since I don't have a place to stay, I guess I'll take you up on your offer then' flew out of my mouth, surprisingly not in a jumble mess.

I watched as his vibrant green eyes blinked slowly before a smile spread across his features, "Of course…"

* * *

 **Csilla: And now, everything is set up for the climax... starting NEXT chapter :D**

 **Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts on FFN, its extremely motivating for me (aside from the onslaught of MikaYuu feels)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Csilla: Somehow, despite being extremely exhausted from work, I found the inspiration and motivation to finish chapter 8 so as a reward, I will be posting TWO chapters! I debated on whether this should be posted with five or with seven~**

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Purgatory can be anything, but interesting. It was an endless space with no sense of time. A person ages if they refuse to collect their assigned number of souls, I definitely did not want to remain in my twelve-year-old body. No, I wanted something I could control. I wanted to age – it wasn't something Krul or any other Reaper could understand.

Krul.

Thinking back, I wish I had noticed when she called me to ask me why I was so adamant about finishing this job, especially when I never cared and often sought out ways to dump it onto someone else.

Why wasn't I listening to that phone call?

Why hadn't I noticed that a lot of her lately questions revolved around Yuu?

Why was I so stupid?

Then maybe I could have better prepared for the hell that broke loose that day. One thing after another.

Ferid, I would definitely get him back. Even if they tossed me in hell, I will kill him and pull him down with me.

I'm sorry, Yuu… I wish I could have protected you better, but instead I've left you defenseless with a target. You're going to get killed and it's all my fault. You could have lived a full life, found someone, and made a family. You could have had what neither of us had while growing up: love between a parent and their child. And now, I've ruined that. Krul won't allow you to live any longer and I don't think I'll be able to protect you. I'm sorry…


	7. Chapter 7

**Csilla: I'm pretty sure everyone will want to murder me for this ;-;**

 **WARNING: feels.**

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I sighed, my cell phone muted while Krul rattled on about something –I stopped paying attention- as I kept my eyes stealthy trained on my roommate, who was too involved in his game to notice. It's been eight months since Yuu agreed to let me live with him. It was fun. Every day was anything but boring, although I soon noticed this new arrangement brought up a new set of issues with our friendship. Awkward accidental walk-ins. Awkward moments of getting caught taking peeks at each other. And yet, somehow we were able to move past it like nothing happened; although I could erase some of the walk-in moments, I was pretty sure a person should not be able to accurately undress their friend and know pretty much what's underneath. Crap, I can feel my face heating up.

"..ika… GODDAMMIT, MIKA! I KNOW YOU'RE ON THE OTHER END!" Krul's voice broke through my trance and I fumbled to pick the phone back up then un-mute it.

"A-Ah, sorry about that… I understand," I gave her a weak laugh and hoped she would believe me.

As if luck was on my side, "You do…? Well, as long as you understand that's fine… don't forget the clock is almost up on your target," Krul's reminder had me slumping in my chair.

"Yeah, I haven't…" I mumbled before I hung up, behind me I could hear Yuu pausing his game.

I felt his eyes on me before he finally asked: "You okay, Mika?"

Nodding my head, I was pretty sure of the answer –or at least I wanted to be 'okay'. A part of me had forgotten about my mission. A part of me wanted to leave things the way they were, but a part of me (the part that couldn't forget that I wasn't alive anymore) couldn't forget the guilt that ate away at me whenever I heard about the hardships in his life.

"What time are we supposed to meet everyone again?" I asked, hoping the sudden change in topic wouldn't be bring up questions later, watching as realization dawned on my roommate.

I don't think I had ever seen Yuu whip out his phone to check the time as quickly as he just did. His face paled before muttered weakly, "About ten minutes ago…"

"You're kidding!" I rose from my chair – like I said living with Yuu was anything and everything but boring – and slid my phone into my pants pocket before I dragged him out the door.

We ran down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time, and when we could see the first floor in our sights, we both jumped down from the step we were currently on. I fumbled slightly, almost losing my balance, while Yuu recovered quickly and was racing across the floor towards the door.

"Hey, wait up!" I called out before I ran after him, making it over to him just in time for him to open the door. Without worrying about falling on my face, I jumped down the stone steps and onto the sidewalk, which luckily was almost completely empty.

The laughing behind me made me forget about the irritated looks I was being given as my gaze traveled up the steps to see Yuu walking down them. He was still laughing as we raced down the sidewalk, dodging slower-moving people on the way. His laugh was so infectious that even I couldn't stop my own from mixing with his. It sort of felt like we were kids playing…

Our laughter finally died out as we came to the meeting place: the mall. The moment I found Yoichi in the crowd, he waved us over and we mentally prepared ourselves for the teasing that was sure to come.

"Finally~ were you going to make us wait all day, lovebirds?" Shinoa snickered, playfully elbowing Yuu in the side while Mitsuba came over to my side, repeating the action.

"Yeah~ we were beginning to wonder if you two were too tired… or something," I felt my face heat up and on instinct I backed away only to stumble slightly into Yuu, which only helped promote the color in my face to become more prominent.

If my old self could see what I've learned after being around Mitsuba and Shinoa, he would no doubt turn tail and hide from these two. Forever.

"You two couldn't have wait until later to do something like-"

"We weren't!" Yuu whined, interrupting Kimizuki, throwing his hands in the air – not that I could blame him for reacting like that: it was practically a daily thing our friends did, especially when we were late or leaving early from something.

Seeing that their expressions still plainly said they still didn't believe it, I changed the topic: "So how's your sister doing?" I asked, turning my gaze onto Kimizuki.

He seemed surprised by the sudden change, but replied nonetheless: "She's still not recovering as fast as the doctors would like her to… and the surgery is still going to happen unless she…"

As he trailed off, we all knew what exactly what he was going to say. Mirai Kimizuki was his twelve-year-old sister, who had been hospitalized since she was eight for a severe case of Tuberculosis. She had been given the vaccine to fight off what remained, but the damage had been done. A part of the TB had infected enough of the marrow in her leg to render it useless without surgery. Kimizuki had gotten himself tested as a possible marrow donor, but received the news that he was not a match. After that, everyone else (myself excluded) got their marrow tested to see if they were a match, but again: no one was a match.

"Why don't we head inside? I think Mirai wouldn't like us not enjoying ourselves," Leave it to Yoichi to bring us off a sad topic, I envied him for that.

We headed inside, straight for the food court to get something to eat before discussing what we wanted to get. The girls wanted to tackle a sale together. Yoichi wanted a new book. Kimizuki wanted to get a new CD, which left me and Yuu alone at the food court when they headed their separate ways.

"Wanna just wander around and window-shop?" I glanced over at him as Yuu stood up tossing his take-out into the nearby trashcan before I nodded my head, tossing my own trash away.

The mall was reasonably packed so we ended up walking side-by-side with little space between our hands. I couldn't help but notice the number of times they brushed against one another. 23. My counting was cut short when I felt something was off.

We were walking on the first floor when I heard a scream from above. My gaze flew upwards just in time to see a light from the ceiling falling right above us. It would only be a moment before it collided with us, acting fast I tackled Yuu hoping it would move him away from the spot where the light would crash onto.

The moment I heard metal hitting the ceramic floor, I let out a huge breath of relief before I lifted myself by placing my hands on the ground beside Yuu's head. He cracked open his eyes then his gaze went from the fallen light to me before he opened his mouth to ask, his voice dry and hoarse: "What happened?"

A laugh slipped past my defenses, "No clue… I'm just glad you're okay," I replied before I lowered my face until it was resting in the crook of his neck.

"Um… M-Mika? People are staring…" The sound of his voice made me smile, Yuu was safe. He was still alive. That was a close call. I almost lost him.

Faintly I heard a crack from right above us, instinctively I moved my arms so one was under his knees and the other behind his back and dashed away until we were no longer right below the second floor. I felt a piece stone scrap against the back of my leg, I gritted my teeth the moment the pain began resonating from the injury. Despite not being alive, getting hurt still fucking hurts!

"Are you okay… Yuu?" My chest heaved as I glanced around for something to explain what was going on, I wasn't used to moving that quickly in this body.

I felt a weak nod against my neck and I pulled my gaze down at Yuu, who had brought his arm up around my neck. He had to be scared. Hell, if I was still alive I know I would be. I tightened my hold on him and went back to glancing around –noting the emptiness of where we stood- until I found a familiar face. Ferid's face.

Before I had a chance to stop myself, I growled dangerously: "What are _you_ doing here, Ferid?" as I glared over at him.

Ferid seemed pleased with himself as he walked over to us, my grip becoming almost protective, which only seemed to amuse him more.

"My~ My… What's this? Is Mika-chan protecting someone?" I could feel anger bubbling inside of me as he stood a few feet from me and Yuu, who was still clinging to me.

I had no time for his little games. So I repeated my question a little louder, but just as dangerous: "What are _you_ doing here, Ferid?"

A light chuckle, "You always were one for 'no-bullshit', hmm~ Mika-chan… Fine, I'll play along," crossing his arms across his chest, "She sent me here to dispose of your little play thing," The gleam in his eyes showed he was serious. Krul had sent someone after Yuu and it was my fault.

"Yuu has nothing to do with me… And beside he's-"

"Yes, yes… I know~ but the whole d.o.d. thing can be easily be overwritten," the faint noise of emergency personnel heading our way interrupted him from saying much more on the subject, much to my dismay, so instead he opted for a warning: "I think you might want to decide who are with…" before disappearing.

When he was finally gone, I turned my attention to Yuu - he had heard everything, which meant he would no doubt question me about it until he was satisfied. I loosened my hold on him, but he didn't loosen his. Tightening my grip again until he wasn't practically dangling from my neck, I headed towards the noise. We were met by a petite, although slightly busty brunette, who led us outside and over to an ambulance to get checked. Still Yuu never let go on me. My mind was racing, my cover was pretty much blown. There's no way I could complete my mission, right? If I stayed, I would just put Yuu in more danger. Or worse, I could get him killed.

"Looks like a minor abrasion, you got lucky kid…" The EMT explained to me as he finished wrapping my ankle before his gaze fell on Yuu, "You're going to have to let us see him…"

"Good luck, getting him to let go…" I felt Yuu tighten his arms, "Is there any way you can do your job without asking me to let go?" I asked the EMT, who sighed in defeat.

"I shouldn't, but… pardon me," Those two words were my only warning before the EMT began checking Yuu over for any injuries, it was difficult when he had to check on the parts of Yuu that were against me, but somehow we managed without falling over.

"Somehow your friend made it out without a single injury, but just in case: keep a close eye on him," The EMT concluded before letting us leave so we could give our contact info to the officers on-site.

"Am I carrying you the whole way home?" I whined as we came up an intersection, a block away from our apartment, hoping to get some sort of reaction from my roommate.

But again, Yuu remained silent and it was really beginning to worry me. If I was in his shoes, I would have demanded answers the moment we were away from the crowd.

I sighed, muttering a quiet apology before crossing the street, my gaze travelling onto the raven-black hair that tousled about in the slight breeze. I was about halfway through when I heard from behind me: "Hey, watch out!"

I turned slightly to see a kid repeating the same thing, pointing to the area behind me. I swung my attention around, just mere milliseconds before I felt all the air leave my body. I felt myself flung forward and with the little energy that I had left, I pulled Yuu closer before we finally hit the pavement. We landed painfully into the intersection, all traffic coming to a complete halt around us. I cracked any eye open when I felt movement near me, but all I saw were blurry images of my surroundings.

"MIKA?! MIKA!" Yuu. He sounds okay. Did he get hurt at all?

My vision was fading into black by the second and the only thing that crossed my mind before I woke up again was: _At least I can't die again…_

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 **Csilla: I'm actually not sorry about this chapter, which was a lot of fun to write... I debated on whether Yuu should be conscious during Ferid and Mika's conversation, but after writing chapter 8 I decided to leave it as is.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Csilla: So despite the awful work week I've been enduring, I somehow finished fleshing out chapter ten (which means this one can be posted)**

 **Warning: feels (again? yes)**

* * *

 _At least I can't die again…_

I was awaken by grueling pain in my spine, my eyes flew open and were immediately attacked by the sunlight stabbing through the blinds. I limply dropped my forearm over to shield my eyes before turning my head away from the onslaught of light only to come face-to-face with a mob of raven-black hair that smelled remotely like strawberries.

"…Yuu…?" My throat felt dry, making my voice crack slightly as a result.

A familiar mocking chuckle from behind me had me sitting up –and instantly regretting it, thanks to the pain that sparked because of the sudden movement- to glare at Krul, who appeared mildly amused.

"What the hell are you thinking? Why is Ferid after Yuu? He's not schedule to die-"

I was seething with rage, but she seemed unfazed and instead her ruby eyes grew cold: "Oh, I know… Yuuichiro Hyakuya doesn't even have a clock to say _when_ he's supposed to die,"

"What?"

"Ooh~ don't tell me you haven't noticed?" I tore my gaze away from her and onto the sleeping form of my roommate, my eyes slightly glowed as I drew on my Reaper powers. Krul had been telling the truth: there was no clock to state how long Yuu would stay alive.

"Anyway, the reason I'm here…" She cleared her throat, my powers releasing as I glanced back, "I know there is still a week and a half left, but I'm ordering you take your target's soul tonight otherwise, I will hand the job off to another Reaper and you," pointing a finger at me," will tossed into Hell. Along with him" her finger moving to point down at my sleeping roommate before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Now this felt like a punishment.

I glanced down at Yuu to make sure he was still sleeping before I slipped off the bed, stretching my slightly sore muscles. Aside from that, I felt fine – one of the perks of already being dead. I quickly changed out of the hospital gown and back into my own clothes, sneaking peeks over my shoulder to keep checking that Yuu was still asleep.

"I'm sorry, Yuu… See you at home," I whispered before I used just enough of my powers to bring myself just outside the hospital's front door.

I slid my phone out of my pants pocket before tapping on the screen to bring it to life –I couldn't help but feel something gnawing inside my chest. This was wrong. A soul for a soul. It wasn't right. No one should ever have to choose between doing their job and saving a friend's life- I scrolled through my contacts. Every name was a person I had met while I was in the human world. They were people who liked Mikaela Shindo, a slightly awkward young adult with an unknown past. No one ever bothered him with questions, trying to pull answers out of him. I was getting to the end of my contact list when I saw the person I had been looking for.

It took three rings until he answered. Three rings that made the world feel like it stopped moving. Three rings was all the time I was given before I had to do what I was instructed to do.

I feigned a light-hearted greeting, apologizing afterwards about what happened today before asking if he could meet me somewhere. He made a joke about something, –my attention was solely focused on what I would soon be doing- which I laughed off before telling him where to meet me.

"Fine, see you there…" I hung up the phone and the gnawing sensation in my chest grew, the café I decided on was four blocks from Imperial Apartments and halfway down the street. The hospital I had been admitted to was ten blocks away –not that that made much of a difference, it only meant that if Yuu woke up soon: he would not be able to make it to the café-, which left me with one option: to use my powers again. Making the leap from the hospital to the alley just outside the café did little to ease the discomfort I felt about my upcoming actions.

"Now I can see why this is a punishment…" I groaned, running a hand through my hair as if that would help alleviate the gnawing sensation in my chest. I never really gave much thought when I actually did reap souls. Before it was just a job. Before I had no one around me that mattered in the slightest.

I stepped out of the alleyway and stood by the café entrance, letting my thoughts continue their current path – before all I knew was the hardships I had gone through from birth to twelve. Before I found someone I wanted to be around. Before I found people who I considered my friends. I smiled and laughed, like I hadn't done since I was a child. During the time where my life stood still. Before I met Yuu, Shinoa, Yoichi, Mitsuba or Kimizuki. I don't want to go back to that time- until I heard: "Yo, didn't expect you to beat me here…"

I turned, "Thanks for meeting me here on such late notice…" I cringed at the formality in my voice; it sounded so impersonal and I hated it.

I could see, behind his glasses, in his eyes that he also found the way I spoke strange. He scoffed, "Well, what did you want to talk about? Did you and that idiot finally decide to come out?"

Leave it to Kimizuki to say something like that, I mused before I made the suggestion of going inside. Just as expected, the café wasn't very busy. A few customers, despite it being the middle of the day, sat scattered within the café. We took a seat, furthest from anyone who might glance over, and placed our usual order. Two black coffees.

"So are you going to tell me? Or do I have to guess?" He sounded annoyed, not that I could blame him – I did invite him out and made sure he didn't say 'no'.

Folding my hands in my lap, I felt the need to stall even if it was only for a short moment. I wasn't ready: "Lovely weather, isn't it?"

Had I really just said that?! I watched as his eye twitched, irritation clearly written on his face, and I was sure I wasn't the only one who wanted to hit me, but then he sighed, "Must be something pretty important if you're using that shit to stall while you collect your thoughts… Just spit it out, Mika"

The waitress dropped off our drinks and reminded us that if we needed anything to let her know, we nodded in understanding and I waited until she was away from us before I spoke: "I haven't been completely honest with all of you… about myself, I mean. Do you remember all the stuff I was telling you guys about stuff that happened to me from when I was twelve until I moved in?" Kimizuki said nothing as he nodded his head, "Well… it wasn't the whole truth… In December, my parents tossed me out a moving car-"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're my friend…" A part of me didn't mind the interruption, but all of me wanted to tell him the truth. For what reason? I have no clue, but my statement felt like the truth. It felt like the answer and so I continued: "I was hit by a driver in the next lane over and I died that day,"

As expected his eyes widened before giving me a once-over as I pushed forward with my story, "I believe around six months later, I was chosen as a Reaper… For the next six years, I didn't do much aside from reading… an occasional job, where I had to collect the soul of a recently departed. I hated it, which is why I always dumped the jobs on someone else if I could… For someone like me, who refuses to reap, I receive the _punishment_ age normally. Anyway, three years ago my boss gave me a job. According to the reports, my target would not be dying for another few years. A punishment for not doing my work, she claims"

"And your target…?"

A grim smile broke out across my face, "Please don't make me say it…" I mumbled, before I snapped my finger –I had to isolate us from the other customers- and time around us stopped before I continued: "Born November 26th, Shihou Kimizuki, son of Tomoyo and Kaito Kimizuki. Older brother to Mirai Kimizuki, who at a young age developed tuberculosis, which has recently spread to the bone marrow in her legs. Been living on his own since he was eighteen at Imperial Apartments, run by Guren Ichinose… No matter how many times I read the info gathered on you, after meeting all of you, I can't help but feel horrible…"

"Wa-wait, you can't be serious… What about Mirai? Tell me, Mika! Who the hell is she going to have? Our parents died, though I'm sure your fucking information already told you that! She'll be alone with no one to help her! Like fucking hell, I'm dying before her!

"I'm so sorry, Kimizuki… I promise this will be painless... for you," I summoned my weapon and in one fluid motion, pushed away the table and stabbed him through the heart.

I couldn't stop the tears that ripped past the corners of my eyes, Kimizuki was my friend. We may not have been close, but he was still my friend. And I couldn't bring myself to harm him so his soul would be released. I gave him a painless heart attack. At least I've been told it's painless.

"Please forgive me… Kimizuki," I cried as I slumped back down in my seat and time started moving again. I left without a word and behind me I could hear people racing over to my friend, to see if he was okay.

I ran out the door and down the streets without stopping. I didn't care if anything hit me on my way. I didn't deserve to stay here. I just took away someone very special to a sick little girl. Mirai was a sweet little girl, who had been sick all her life. She only had her older brother and now, because of me… she's alone. She's twelve-years-old, the same age I was when I lost everything. I destroyed someone's happiness for my own. There was no way, Yuu would forgive me for that. He was the first to suggest everyone get checked to see if any of us were a match for Mirai.

Somehow I made it back home without getting in an accident. Or causing one. I immediately ran up the stairs, taking them two or three at a time before I quickly dashed into my apartment. I stormed past everything until I came to the bedroom, I slammed the door shut and locked it before sliding down. The moment my legs touched he carpet, I broke down. The tears making me shake with: anger for not being able to do more about my situation, frustration for not being able to find a better outcome, and grief for having to lose a friend by my own hand. It wasn't fair.

* * *

I'm not sure how much time has passed before I hear a key scrapping against the front door's lock. Yuu must be home. I heard the door open and close before I heard his voice: "Oi, Mika! You here?" I wanted to answer him, but at the same time I didn't want to.

His footsteps padded down the hall before I heard them stop right behind me. Just beyond the bedroom door. I curled up, hugging my knees as close as I could to my chest. That horrible guilt-ridden feeling that gnawed inside my chest from before flared up with the knowledge that Yuu was nearby. Kimizuki was one of his friends, someone he cared about. Even if he could move past the knowledge that I wasn't even human, there's no way he would ever get over me taking his friend's life. I'm a horrible person, aren't I?

"Mika… you're in there, aren't you?" His voice -only provoked the tears to reappear, the salty drops streaming down my face and I barely hid the broken sobs coming from my mouth- was firm but gentle. The door budged slightly, but with the lock and my weight against it, it didn't open.

"Listen, I want to talk about today… About what happened at the mall… Who was that man? What did he mean by disposing of your play thing? And what's this d.o.d? Please tell me, what's going on… Mika, talk to me…" His pleading –cracking slightly- caused more broken sobs to bypass my defenses.

I needed to get Yuu away from me. If he keeps prodding, I'm going to crack from the guilt alone. I've already put him in danger just by being his friend: "…please stay away…"

"We're friends-"

A pained chuckle, "Friends? You don't even know the real me… What I've done. What I have to do. I shouldn't have stayed. I should have just left back in March, said my goodbyes… b-be… cause th-then… Ki-" I was crudely interrupted when I felt my whole body tumble forward until I was halfway on the other side with my body practically folded into itself.

I blinked as I tried to piece together what had happened, but taking one long glance at the bedroom door where Yuu stood, slightly turned with his fists balled and breathing heavily. Had he really broken the lock?

Once his breathing calmed, I watched as Yuu stormed over to me and grabbed me by the front of my shirt: "I know everything I need to know… I know that you don't like the taste of yogurt, the milk left in your bowl after having cereal, and I know that you enjoy mind-numbingly pointless daytime television. I know that you have a scar above your eyebrows from the abuse you suffered from as a child. I know that you're important to me. I know that, although you don't always understand how you're feeling at time, you easily get jealous. I know that there is no one I want to be roommates with than you. I know that you're different. I know that. I don't care. You're Mika, that's all that matters! No matter what you haven't told me, it won't be enough for me to say we're not friends" His rambling went on and despite the unwanted warm feelings he was given me, I knew what I had to do. I had to follow protocol, otherwise something bad would happen to him. I couldn't save Kimizuki, but I definitely won't let anything happen to Yuu.

"I'm sorry, Yuu… but I really should go," I brushed his hands off my shirt –the action broke my heart, which surprised me a little. I was sure it was already done for after completing my mission- before I stood up, leaving Yuu staring up at me. His vibrant green eyes expressed the heartbreak he felt by my actions and it took all my effort just to walk past him, behind me I heard him scramble to follow before he screamed out.

"Please don't go! Mika, please… don't go… I'm in lo-" I never heard the ending of his scream as I ran. I knew if I stayed any longer, I wouldn't have the courage to leave. I would have put him in more danger.

I really am the worst… I made him cry…

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 **Csilla: Please no one hate me... &I hope no one is _actually_ disappointed that Yuu wasn't Mika's target D:**

 **If anyone is, well... ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Csilla: A nice dinner with my muse &I was able to write chapter 11 all out so that means, I can post chapter 9~ :3**

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The library in Purgatory, I learned shortly after being chosen as a Reaper, was the best place to avoid things. Rarely anyone went inside. The books were mostly coated in dust until it came time for me to read them and for the next six years they remained clear of dust until three years ago when I was ordered to go to the human world. Now –I noticed as I cringed my nose at the sight before me- not only were the books coated in a thick coat of dust, but the air was stuffy.

I shut the door behind me, letting out a long dawn-out sigh. I would have to be quick, knowing Ferid he will break into my room if he realizes I'm out. Following a path that I had long since memorized, I picked books off the shelf. Dusting them off as I collected my personal favorites before I headed back out, taking extra care to make sure no one saw me.

I could see the door to my room when I heard, "So have you heard about the anomaly living among the humans?" I groaned, shaking my head – Lacus would be the only one that could sound excited about what could be a rumor.

"You mean the one that Ferid was sent out recently to destroy…?" That had my attention and I couldn't control myself as I instinctively backtracked so I could hear their conversation better.

Lacus turned to Rene, the only Reaper who could stand to be around the slightly childish Reaper, replying: "Yes~ that's the one! I wish Krul would have given me that assignment, I wouldn't have failed"

A sudden flood of memories with Yuu erupted in my head as I listened to their conversation, it couldn't be! Could it? I wanted to walk away, but the idea that they were talking about Yuu had me standing my ground.

"Are you going to partake in capturing the anomaly?"

Before Lacus could answer Rene's question, –likely with a retort of some kind before replying- I spoke up: "Mind telling me what you're discussing,"

"Ah~ if it isn't Krul's _favorite_ little Reaper?" I ignored the childish and teasing statement as I stepped towards them, my books under my arm. Lacus gave me one last look before shrugging his shoulders, "Well not that it matters, but word around Purgatory is that there is an anomaly living amidst the humans. It seems that Krul is willing to go so far as putting a bounty on this rare soul. Apparently Ferid was sent out to capture it, but when he returned empty-handed needless to say, it became a hot topic. We were just discussing about whether we're interested in going after a soul that even one of the top Reapers couldn't reap," He explained, resting a hand on his hip as he waved the other while he spoke.

I quietly muttered my thanks before I stormed over to her office; I won't risk it. If it is Yuu's soul that Krul is after, I won't allow it. I did my mission. I killed Kimizuki, my friend, so that Yuu would be saved. She said she would leave him alone if I completed my job.

I pushed open her office door and upon seeing her sitting leisurely at her desk, I felt every ounce of frustration I had felt since leaving Yuu and the others behind burst out as I yelled: "Krul!" Manner be damned, I was going to get my answer as soon as possible.

Her eyebrow quirked in irritation from being bothered before she sat back in her chair, "What do you want, Mika?"

"Are you hunting Yuu's soul? I heard about the bounty you're planning…" I growled, balling my fist at my sides.

I watched as she rolled her eyes, obviously unamused with my antics, "And if I were? Then what? Would you run back to dear Yuuichiro Hyakuya's side? _Hmm~_ live with a human again? I think living among those humans has made you forget, you're no longer alive. You're not human anymore, Mika. Hell, you're barely a Reaper so might I ask: what are you?" By the end, her words stung. I may have wanted to forget then that I was different from my friends, but I could never forget. Who could? Who could forget when the constant reminder was right there following you around?

"But I completed my mission… I took Shiho Kimizuki's soul-"

"Yes, you have… but you still haven't decided what to do with it nor have you handed it over for another Reaper to decide," It was true, I refused to hand over my friend's soul to another in fear that I wouldn't like what they decided upon. But at the same time, I didn't even think I deserved to decide the fate of Kimizuki's soul.

Pushing aside that issue for another time, I spat: "So then, you're just going to go after Yuu's soul? Even though I completed my job that day…"

Instead of answering, I watched as she slid a folder to the edge of her desk before taking it and leafing through it. All the information inside was about Yuu! His birthday. His family information. The abuse he suffered as a child. But there was nothing after his twelfth birthday. No information about the high school he attended. Nothing on his college. Nothing about Kimizuki, Yoichi, Shinoa, or Mitsuba. Even the photograph of what he would look like at the time of his death was strange. The photo showed a pouting child, no older than 12.

"I don't understand…" I didn't quite understand the filing system used, but I knew enough to know that each file on everyone living in Japan only held the one photograph needed by the Reapers. The photo would always show what the target would look like at the age they were supposed to die.

"Yuuichiro Hyakuya shouldn't exist and yet he does," Krul crossed her arms across her small chest, her tone only seemed to flare up the frustration inside me. Who was she to say who should exist and who shouldn't?!

Before I knew what I was doing, I slammed my hand down on the desk in front of me –Yuu's file spilling everywhere from the top of the desk to the floor- and shouted: "Just because you oversee the deaths in Japan does not mean you can play god with the humans' lives! I won't let you… any of you take his soul! I'm going back to the human world!"

I turned on my heel and stormed out as she rushed after me, "And how do you plan to stop us? Are you going to fight off every Reaper in Purgatory for some human?" a small gasp then, "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"So what if I am," Even I was surprised when I shouted that over my shoulder, but I couldn't stop. If I had to fight every Reaper here, I would. I'm going to protect Yuu, no matter what.

Purgatory be damned, I was going to tell him everything. Everything from the beginning. I would shed light on everything I kept secret from him. Reapers. The truth about Kimizuki. The truth about myself. Who I was. How I felt. Everything. Even if he told he never wanted to see me again, I would accept it.

"I'm coming, Yuu… Stay alive until then,"

* * *

 **Csilla: I cannot begin to say how much I loved everyone's reaction to who Mika's target was... I'm glad the twist didn't make anyone hate the fic~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Csilla: I actually haven't finished the chapter I'm currently writing, but since work has been crazy... I thought I should just upload this chapter and work twice as hard to type out chapter 12 then 13.**

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Although I had decided to come back to the human world, I kept my distance from everyone I knew. Especially Yuu. I wasn't sure how I was going to apologize for leaving the way I had. I hope he didn't cry for too long about me…

"He's not home…" I peered through the balcony window of our apartment, all the memory from the time I spent there flooded back that I almost missed the sight of all my stuff I had left behind was still there. In the same spot I left them.

I smiled a little at the thought before I left, the next place I was going to try was the school. If I recalled, he should have a class today. I was outside the school's front door in a matter of seconds, I pulled up my hood as I walked around until I found the room where Yuu's class was held. I peered inside, but saw no Yuu.

Panic was setting in fast that I almost missed the prickle that ran down the back of my neck. I looked around before I felt it again, was there a Reaper nearby? Did that mean Yuu was also near?

My eyes widened and I took off to find out, it wasn't long before I found Ferid and Crowley cornering someone. My worst fear was immediately realized when I heard Yuu's voice coming from the same direction. I charged in with my katana ready, fear of how he would react upon seeing me again, and quickly brought myself in front of Yuu.

I watched their eyes widened as I defended Yuu from Crowley's sword and Ferid's lancer. I hadn't expected both of them to go after him at the same time so it took almost all my strength just to stop their weapons.

"Mi…ka…?" His voice nearly broke me, all the guilt I felt before came rushing back to me.

Pushing their weapons back as I spoke: "Y-Yeah, I'm here… s-sorry I-I l-left…" my voice strained from the effort of fending both of them off.

Ferid seemed amused to see me standing in front of Yuu while Crowley appeared confused, "Hey Ferid, what is the short stack doing over there?"

"My~ you haven't realized it, Crowley? He's protecting that human,"

Something seemed to click inside the muscled Reaper's mind as a devilish smile spread across his features, "So then he's our enemy,"

I readied myself for any attack they might come at me with. Crowley was the first to lunge at me, the sound of metal bouncing off the walls around us. Our weapons continued to clash, the sound of metal growing almost deafening, until I caught sight of Ferid moving around us to get to Yuu and without any hesitation, I grabbed Crowley's wrist then yanked hard enough to have him stumble close enough to head-butt him.

I swung around and immediately deflected Ferid's attack against Yuu, who scrambled out of the way when I did. The slight sound of movement behind me gave me enough warning to swing back around and stop Crowley's attack, but upon seeing Ferid making another attempt to attack Yuu, I had to act fast –we were in closer quarters to one another- and I landed a punch in his face, hard enough to have him stumbling back and cradling what would hopefully be a broken nose.

I defended Yuu against Ferid's second attempt before lunging forward, he caught my wrist and in a matter of seconds, I swung around him. I forced his wrist behind his back until my katana dangerously poked out from the area next to his neck.

"Are you okay, Yuu?" I was panting and exhausted, but at least I had one of them incapacitated for now.

Crowley glared over at me and I knew I had to make this fight as close to fair as possible. I yanked my own katana back, slashing Ferid's neck before stabbing a few more times and sent him tumbling to the ground. I knew it would not be enough to kill him, after all Reapers can't die, but it would be enough to finish this fight and escape.

Crowley watched his companion fall before he lunged at me, with Ferid's lancer in my hand, I defended myself from his rapid attacks. Being the more inexperienced sword-welder, I was not surprised when I felt his sword slice through my side. But I couldn't give in to the pain that sparked throughout me. I used that as an opportunity to bring Ferid's lancer back and stab right through the middle of Crowley's torso.

Warm flecks splattered against my cheeks as he coughed and struggled to grasp his weapon, but when I saw it disappear I yanked the thin-blade causing more blood to spill out. Crowley fell to the ground in a gasping heap and fatigue took over, I raised my hand to hold my head. My consciousness felt like it was fading into oblivion and my legs felt wobbly. I felt myself stumble forward before gravity took control and I fell, but as I waited for the hard surface of the pavement I instead felt something warm catch me.

"M-Mika…?" I cracked open my eyes and couldn't stop the smile that spread on my face as I gazed up at Yuu and his vibrant green eyes. Would they stay like that after I confessed everything to him? My guilt about Kimizuki. My feelings for him. My regret about running away and putting him in danger.

"Yuu, thank god you're-"

"You're a fucking idiot, you know!" I was taken back by the anger pooling in his eyes, "All you had to do was let me die and you wouldn't have gotten yourself injured! Dammit Mika! I can't handle you getting injured for my sake! Promise me," his voice suddenly lost momentum, "promise… me… y-you won't… you won't let yourself get hurt protecting me," His eyes were beginning to water and I wanted to indulge in his offer, but I just couldn't.

"Not going to happen," I cracked a wider smile, "so long as I'm around, I won't let anything happen to you… You have no idea how lucky you are to still be alive," I reached up and cupped his face with my hands, his eyes shut for a moment, allowing the tears to break all of his defenses. Before I knew what I doing, I began talking: "Yuu, there's something I want to tell you… though I'm not really sure where to begin…" I paused, glancing away to steel myself. I wanted to tell him. No, I needed to tell him.

"But not here… let's go home, Yuu" His eyes widened before they softened as Yuu smiled down at me.

"Okay,"

* * *

 **Csilla: Did Crowley seem OOC to anyone? If so, I apologize. Love conquers all~ ^^**

 **Yes, the chapter everyone seems to be waiting for: Mika telling Yuu the truth!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Csilla: So surprisingly (for me) I finished chapter 13 right after I finished writing 12 so~ you guys get to read a new chapter!**

 **Yes, its up! The chapter everyone has more or less been waiting for ;) Mika tells Yuu the truth~**

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The trip home was slightly more painful than I thought it would be. I was worn out from my fight with Crowley and Ferid so using my powers was out of the question. Not that if I had the energy to use them, I would use them. I wanted to tell Yuu before I showed him just how different we were.

Yuu had left me with no room to argue as he slung my arm around him so he was able to help me move without making my injury worse. We kept a pace quick enough to not draw as many eyes, but the sight of the two of us walking so close did draw some curious looks. I could feel my face heating up at the gazes before I cautioned a glance over to Yuu. His vibrant eyes seemed focus on the path ahead of us and I realized. This was the first time I had been so close to him. There was small flecks of yellow, brown, and blue scattered about in a sea of green. A sea that seemed to have a faint blue ring around it. It was beautiful. Yuu's eyes were beautiful.

I drew my eyes away, not wanting to get caught staring. My eyes, I was often told as a child, were just like my mother's. The same woman, who helped with the plan to push her own child out of a moving vehicle. I hated my eyes. Always have since that day.

"Almost there…" Yuu's voice drew me away from my thoughts and I looked ahead to, sure enough, see Imperial Apartments just down the street from where we were at.

It seemed to take forever before we were finally climbing the last of the steps to the floor his- _our_ apartment resided. I fumbled through the door, hoping no one poked their heads out their own place to see who had just arrived on the floor. I sank to the floor the moment I stepped into the living room, Yuu was at my side as I heard the front door shut.

He pushed away the white cape, unbuttoned the white and black jacket before pushing my black dress shirt up until my injury could be clearly seen. I glanced down, it came as no surprise to me that it had mostly healed, but Yuu inhaled sharply.

"H-How i-is th-that po-possible?" After knowing him for three years, I knew Yuu had once again spoken his thoughts out loud.

I sighed, "I'll explain… later," before reaching up to push him away just slightly so there was some space between us.

I removed the cape and jacket –my Reaper uniform- and set them beside me, leaving me with only my black dress shirt, which luckily had fallen back over my wound. I swallowed back all the fear and jitters that seemed to spontaneously erupt in my throat suddenly before meeting Yuu's gaze. He was watching me with such an earnest look.

"I guess… I should start with," I pushed forward with my confession, "I didn't tell you the whole truth about me. I'm not who I've been saying I am. I mean, my name really is Mikaela Shindo and I was born May 1st. I was abused as a child by my own parents much like you were. None of that was a lie. Nor is any of the time I've spend with you, Yoichi, Shinoa, Mitsuba… even Ki-Kimi…zuki," his name sank my heart lower in my chest, "That was the real Mikaela Shindo… that's how I used to be before," I paused. I had opened the door, now I had to step through it and continued on: "the December of my twelfth birthday, it was a clear day after a brief snow fall. The roads were still a little snowy. That day, I mentioned I was tossed out… I lied when I said I fell into a ditch. Actually I landed into oncoming traffic," I saw his eyes widened and behind them I could see the gears turning, "I died that day. And no matter how much times passes, I still can picture it perfectly. The squeal of the tires. The blare of the horn. The cold snow beneath me… and the pain that brought me to the feeling of nothingness. I was told that six months after that, they finally decided what to do with my soul. I was… I was forced to become a Reaper, a terrible being forced to collect recently departed souls. Aren't I horrible?" I stopped to let all the information I gave him to either sink in or give him reason enough to call the police.

"So then do you know what happened to Kimizuki?" I'm sure he caught the pained look in my eyes as I tore my gaze away and directed it to the floor. I would have to continue on. Yuu deserve the whole truth about me. About Kimizuki.

I took a couple deep breaths before I proceeded on: "As I was saying, Reapers are terrible beings… I hated it. I didn't want to reap. I often dumped my so-called missions on someone else so they could _reap_ the benefits of not aging. As you can see, I definitely don't look like a twelve-year-old anymore. No, we should be the same age. Anyways, three years ago… the day we met, I had been given a mission that my bitch of a boss refused to let me hand off. She stated this one was a punishment for not reaping… the d.o.d, date of death, for the target wasn't any time soon… it was actually scheduled for later this week," I paused as my last encounter with Kimizuki flooded my head, "As for Kimizuki… he… he was…"

"He was your target, but wait! If what you just said is true then why did he die sooner?" I was surprised when Yuu interrupted me, his voice didn't sound angry or upset. And it confused me.

I met Yuu's gaze again, "Because I was threatened… if I didn't take his soul that day after you were attacked at the mall, both you and me were going to be tossed into hell"

This time he pulled his gaze away, his silence worried me so without much thought I asked, "Aren't you mad at me for killing your friend?"

"Mad wouldn't be the right word… I'm upset that Kimizuki had to die early so I wouldn't be tossed into some fiery pit… but why me? How did I get dragged into this?" His vibrant eyes met my eyes, a determined gleam inside them.

Without realizing what I was just about to admit, the truth came out: "Because my boss knew that if she dragged you down with me that I would do anything to protect you," my face reddened and I had to quickly look away.

"…r-really? S-so sh-she… she th-thought y-you…?" My eyes betrayed my decision to wait for the red to leave my face before looking over at Yuu again. His face was cherry-red and his eyes were glancing to the side, unaware I was now staring at him.

The vibrant green eyes, I was fond of, hesitantly glanced back and eventually met mine again: "You like me" His question sounded more like a statement by the end and a cheeky smile spread on his face. I'm sure I had my own spreading across my face.

But as quickly as my smile appeared, it disappeared. I still wanted to apologize about what happened to Kimizuki.

"I'm sorry, Yuu… about Kimizuki. I won't blame you if you never want to see me again… if you want to curse me… or if you wish me to not exist any-" before I could continue, my shoulders were roughly grabbed and I felt myself being shook.

Yuu was leaning in, "Stop Mika," he stopped shaking me before he added under his breath as he released his hold on me, "…somehow I knew,"

"You knew…?"

"Yeah… I sort of had a feeling about you… I knew you were different… Actually with your looks, I thought you might be an angel…" He chuckled before his tone leveled off, "but after seeing you wearing those clothes," motioning at my current attire, "stabbing what looked like slightly translucent people through the chest… I wasn't sure what to think and figured you would tell me when and if you were ever ready,"

Then I remembered all the moments I felt someone's gaze on me while I was reaping throughout the three years I spent living among Yuu and the others. So it was him. Yuu was watching me. He knew all this time and never said anything.

"Though now I have to wondering _why_ not the others? You _like_ them, right?" There was something in his tone that made butterflies flutter about inside my stomach. It was like he wanted me to say it. That he wanted to hear me say that I was in love with him, but that couldn't be right. Could it?

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 **Csilla: The plot thickens...? 8D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Csilla: Since I will be away this upcoming weekend, I finished up the chapter I was working on so I could post this one~ :3**

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It was now or never. I could do it. It should be easy to string three words together, right? So why was I having so much trouble?

"Yuu, I-" A loud knock at the front door caused me to fumble over my words as I glanced over in time to see Mitsuba opening the door, with Shinoa flanking her side.

Her eyes widened when she saw me, "Mika? You're back?! Why didn't you tell us he was coming back, Yuu? Well, whatever… Talk about timing," lifting an unopened bottle of liquid -that from my current spot I couldn't tell what was beyond the glass- up with a pained smile, "We were going to have a get-together and drink to Shiho…" Her violet eyes watered and I lowered my eyes. I couldn't meet her gaze. I knew it was going to be hard to come back after disappearing, but I couldn't tell anyone else the truth. Unless Yuu…

I hesitantly raised my gaze only to meet his eyes, had he been watching me? My shoulders sagged as I played with that idea for a moment. If he had been watching me then what? Did he want me to explain myself to them? Did he want me to tell all of them the truth about what I did to Kimizuki? The truth about myself?

After all the problems I gave him, he had the right to decide who knew the truth about me; I cleared my throat, "Yeah… I was just telling Yuu that-"

"He was just telling me that something came up back home and that's why he had to leave so suddenly… but he's back," I immediately turned my gaze back onto Yuu as he went on to explain a phony family emergency I had not even a week prior when Kimizuki had died, "…but he apologized for leaving without knowing what had happened… That's all, right Mika?" His vibrant green eyes glanced over to me for confirmation, which I gave with a slight nod.

"Well, at least you're back… We were worried Yuu was going to kick the bucket if you didn't return," Yoichi appeared from behind both girls, who shared knowing smiles with each other.

Shinoa grabbed the bottle that Mitsuba had lowered somewhere through Yuu's explanation and lifted it, "Let's drink~"

"Alright, we'll get the cups..." I felt myself pushed from behind by my roommate until we were both in the kitchen, isolated from the others.

I watched as he went about grabbing a handful of plastic cups –that looked like they wouldn't hold much of whatever the liquid was that Mitsuba brought- before I spoke up: "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" He didn't even bother to spare me a glance as he checked the cleanliness of each cup, obviously trying to stall in any way he could.

I closed the distance between us until we were side-by-side, standing close enough to warrant a ton of teasing if anyone caught us like this. I kept my voice low, "Why did you lie for me? I would have be fine if you thought they deserved to know the truth about me…" hoping it stayed leveled, despite the jitters bubbling around inside me.

"You make it sound like you're giving me the right to choose who knows and who doesn't" His low chuckle only made the jitters grow more excited inside me and my eyes reached out for his. His vibrant green found mine and the humor he had put into the atmosphere disappeared immediately.

"I am, Yuu" I whispered, breaking eye contact afterwards to hesitantly move my hand closer to his. If he pulled away, I would accept it.

When my hand finally met his, I felt a jolt shoot through me before I raised my eyes to meet his again. Yuu seemed to have followed my gaze down before slowly raising his eyes to meet mine. We stayed like this for who know how long before we heard Shinoa call out for us.

We both backed away, forcing way too much space between us and I couldn't help wishing we hadn't. As Yuu gathered up the cups, I tentatively peered down at my hand –I had held hands with him and Yuu didn't pull away. He didn't mind…?

I followed him out, taking my usual spot at the end of the couch that was furthest from the door. After handing everyone else a cup, Yuu sat down beside me before handing me my own cup. Mitsuba went around filling up everyone's cups and soon we were all raising our glasses in memory of our friend.

"Shiho, although you were a pain most of the time… I won't forget you," Mitsuba began, tearing up towards the end.

Shinoa latched onto her friend's statement, "We all won't forget you, Shiho… You were a nice guy, who die too early… don't worry, we'll-"

As if sensing the girl's tears, Yoichi jumped in: "We'll look after Mirai for you, just like we promised… and when she's released from the hospital, she is welcomed to live with me… just like we talked about," a soft smile spreading across his face, which earned a curious look from not only me, but from everyone else in our group.

So apparently I wasn't the only one, who was wondering about that. Had Kimizuki and Yoichi talked about the idea of where Mirai would go if he died or something? Not likely, but what other explanation was there?

"So I guess, Kimizuki had thought ahead just in case…" My eyes swept over to the raven beside me, Yuu was staring down at the glass held between his hands.

Slight movement had me turning my gaze back to Yoichi, who nodded: "Yeah… though I'm sure neither of us expected he was going to die… I sure didn't"

Yuu cleared his throat, "Kimizuki, you were a pain in the ass… You were arrogant and we fought a lot, but you were my friend. You were my COD comrade… so…" his eyes shifted over to me and for a brief moment, I wasn't sure what to say. I was the person who took him away from everyone. I'm sure Yuu caught onto my hesitation to speak, but as he pushed on to end the toast I felt words stumble out my mouth.

"Kimizuki, like Yuu said… You were a pain in the ass… You always were making fun of the two of us, but you also made these last three years the best three years of my life. I know we didn't get along, but I hope your soul finds happiness in the next life whatever that might be…" By the end, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I knew what I wanted to do with his soul, but I still wanted to talk to Yuu about it.

We lifted our glasses towards each other's, allowing them to clink softly against one another before all of us said: "To Shiho Kimizuki!" and downed our drinks.

The liquid burned my throat as it went down and a part of me wanted to spit it out, but at the same time it was burning – it numbed the sharp guilt in my chest. A double-edge sword, in my opinion. I was briefly aware of everyone holding their cups out for more, I copied their actions before downing my second glass.

This time the burn was softer, but still present and afterwards I finally blurted out: "What is this anyways?" as the liquid numbed more of the sharp guilt inside me.

Shinoa, already holding her glass out for a third helping, replied: "Vodka… 13 percent… not strong enough to stop after a few glasses, but enough to soften the pain… you know," and I noticed her cheeks were dusted a light pink.

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 **Csilla: Leave a review~ I love them all! :D**

 **COD (Call of Duty) was the only game I could think up to use, sorry I'm sure there are better games :p**


	13. Chapter 13

**Csilla: Now that MikaYuu week is over (I know I'm sad too~), I can focus on Armor again! I'm giving you guys two chapter this update because (a) this one is super short and (b) I'm been on a roll so I'm starting on chapter 16 :D**

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My body feels heavy and I'm pretty sure my legs have given up. Well, either that or the world is spinning around me. Or maybe my legs have turned to gelatin. I'm pretty sure I'm laughing now until I heard a groan beside me. My head fell to the side and the first thing my eyes saw were a pair of lips. Small slightly parted lips. They turned towards me, saying words that I couldn't register in my head. What were those lips saying? I felt something shift beneath my arm, my eyes lazily drifted over to see someone was supporting me. I tried to focus my eyes on their face, but it remained a blurred mess. I felt myself stumble and I was sure I would be getting personal with the floor beneath me, but no matter how much I fumbled forward: I never fell.

A hazy image of a doorway came into view, I reached out to touch the wood until I was swung around and pulled against something warm. Someone's hot breath entered my ear and without thinking, I nudged my face closer to that heat. I chuckled lightly when I felt that heat grow hotter. It was comforting and exhilarating, my heart thumped loudly in my chest and I momentarily wondered if the other person could hear it.

I stepped closer, wanting to feel that heat against my whole body, but stepping closer proved to be a bad idea. I felt arms wrap around me as the world around me went horizontal before it fell. We bounced and the familiar smell of the bed I had left behind filled my nose with nostalgia.

I'm sure whatever I called out in glee that Yuu had kept it came out a jumbled and drunken mess. I felt myself pushed away from the warmth I was growing to enjoy and I was not going to let that slide. The moment I felt the warmth start to pull away, I grabbed a hold of whatever fabric the person was wearing. I pulled back and surprisingly they didn't put up much of a fight because soon I was snuggling up against said warmth. Sleep came over me and I could feel a smile spreading across my face.

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 **Csilla: I had no intention on making Mika seem cuddly when intoxicated - it just happened so I went with it (which seems to be my rule of thumb for this fic)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Csilla: Like I said, two chapter this update :3**

 **WARNING: domestic fluff (and some lame attempts at humor)**

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Thanks to, what seemed like, the worst headache in existence shooting angry shots in my head, I opened my eyes to even angrier morning light. Why does it feel like everything is out to get me this morning? I sat up, which proved more difficult than I expected it to be, and briefly peeked at my surroundings before realizing I was in my bedroom. I shut my eyes and tried to provide additional darkness by covering them with my hands.

Something tighten its hold on my lower torso, which forced me to take a look. I immediately regretted it: the sunlight assaulted my eyes, but I still caught sight of a situation I last expected to find myself in.

Sleeping soundly beside me with his arm slung around my torso, with his mouth partially open as a soft snore escaped was Yuu. My roommate. My crush.

My mind raced with questions. How did we get like this? Oh god, did I say anything? Why is Yuu in my bed? Why were we sleeping together? Did I-

A soft grunt interrupted my musing and I glanced over to meet sleepy green eyes momentarily before Yuu reached up to rub them. I watched in awe as he sat up to stretch, allowing the sunlight to bath his bare torso. Heat rushed to my face and I had to look away, muttering: "Why are you shirtless?" regretting the sudden movement that reminded me of the painful headache I was suffering from.

"We both know I can't sleep with a shirt on…" Yuu yawned, stretching his arms over his head.

He must have known what was bothering me because the bed shifted and soon I saw Yuu climbing off the bed and I felt my jaw drop and eyes widen. Walking across my room towards the door was Yuu wearing nothing, but a pair of black silk boxers.

"WHY DON'T YOU HAVE ANY PANTS ON?!" I'm pretty sure my face had turned seven shades of red as I pointed an accusing finger at Yuu, who merely called back over his shoulder.

"Shinoa spilled her damn drink on me and like hell I was going to keep them on," I watched as he left my room without any further explanation and the moment I was alone with my thoughts, I pulled my knees up to my chest before I let my head dropped.

Now that I knew that I was in love with Yuu, the memory of all those moments living together throughout the years came flooding back – thanks to the sight of him in only his boxers now burned into my mind.

The smell and sound of food sizzling in the kitchen pulled me away from my embarrassing musings. I swung my feet off the bed, but the moment I put my weight onto my feet, I felt dizziness pulse throughout my body.

My hand instinctively reached up to ease the sudden sense of vertigo that thankfully didn't last long. I padded out of my bedroom and down the hall before poking my head into the kitchen, where Yuu was busy cooking.

My stomach churned for a moment as I watched him empty the contents of the frying pan onto a plate. Somehow I'm pretty sure slightly greasy bacon wasn't going to settle well in my stomach.

Yuu must have noticed I was standing behind, "Take a seat and eat… it helps alleviate the effects of a hangover," he suggested, not taking his eyes off the food he was cooking.

"If you say so…" I grumbled, taking my usual spot at our small dining table before staring uneasily at the eggs and bacon that had already been set out.

Hesitantly I grabbed my fork before slowly digging into the eggs, the smell caused me to scrunch my nose. It wasn't that Yuu's cooking was bad –it was mediocre, at best- but the close smell of food was making my stomach flip-flop.

Quickly I ate the amount on my fork, trying to keep it down, it taste better on my tongue, but once it was past my throat: I felt bile rise and I did everything I could to keep it at bay. A sigh of relief later, Yuu was taking his seat across from me with a plate of his own.

"I've found greasy food to help bounce back from a hangover to be the most successful," He nonchalantly explained, which made me wonder if I had a look of disbelief on my face after trying not to vomit.

I raised an eyebrow questioningly before trying my luck with the bacon, Yuu had cooked for us. I was almost a bit in when I heard: "So I'm not supposed to exist?"

I might have dropped my hand a little too loudly when his words registered in my mind. And my eyes might have widened to an inhuman size. Where did he get that idea? Yeah, it was true but who told him that? Did I?

"W-What ar-are y-you ta-talking a-about?" I stammered, mentally panicking at the thought of accidentally telling Yuu something like that while he was intoxicated.

Setting his fork down, Yuu went on to explain how he had helped me into my bedroom and when he tried leaving, I wouldn't let him. I facepalmed myself, I never thought of myself as getting cuddly when intoxicated. Clearing his throat, I realized that he wasn't done with his story yet: "…anyways, when as you were falling asleep… you whispered something in your sleep… about me," his eyes met mine, "about how I wasn't supposed to exist, but I still do…"

I lowered my head, so I did confess something like that to him. Dammit! I didn't want him to know until I knew for sure why his clock is distorted.

"What did you mean, Mika?"

"It's like I said… according to Purgatory reports, Yuuichiro Amane died when he was twelve by the hands of his mother. Or at least that's what is written in your report, which includes a photograph of you at that age. Krul can't seem to figure out how you are still alive, especially since collected souls are turned in so the Reaper, who collected it can decide the fate of it. Does it go back and get reborn? Does it become an Angel? Or is forced to be a Reaper?"

"You really don't like being a Reaper, do you?"

"Not in the slightest…" I answered immediately before moving back onto the topic at hand, "There is one more thing, the clock that exist within each person designating how much time they have left… Yours is distorted," raising my gaze to the space just beside him, "Its warped, but still shows that you will live for years… No Reaper, not even Krul, has the power to do something like that…"

I watched as he sat and processed all I had said before finally asking: "Who does?" in a dry voice.

"I suppose an Angel could, but we're not exactly on the best terms with them," It was true, throughout the nine years I've been a Reaper, I had only seen a few Angels. Most of the time, they had come to complain to Krul about wanting more souls to be reborn into the world. Other times had been on the few jobs I accepted.

"I might know something then…" If it wasn't so quiet, I'm sure I wouldn't have heard him whisper before our eyes met: "If it will help, I can tell you everything I remember about the day my mother strangled me almost to death," he didn't wait for me to give him any sort of answer before he dove straight into his recollection, "Like mentioned in my report, I was twelve when this happened… Actually, it was the December after I turned twelve… Can you believe that? I almost died around the same time as you… My mother must have been tired with seeing me, her demon child, still living. It was late at night, my father was passed out drunk, and I was asleep. At least I was until I felt my mother wrapping her hands around my throat, squeezing and I was sure it was the end," his hands raised to touch his neck and my eyes widened: I had read the report, but it was heartbreaking to hear from Yuu, himself.

"Tonight would be the night, my misery would end. I would no longer be a demon child. No longer would I be unwanted. I would just be dead. I never told anyone this, mostly because I barely believed it myself for the longest time, but as my vision was fading I saw something. I saw someone. A boy, my age, with long dark purple hair, pointed ears, and red eyes. I can still remember the devilish grin he gave me, showing his fangs. If I wasn't being strangled, I'm sure I would have been scared for my life. I watched as he walked closer to us while my vision grew darker and darker. Then suddenly my throat wasn't being constricted, I felt my limp body drop to the ground and shudder as air began filling my lungs painfully. My head pulsed and far away, I could hear my mother talking to someone at the front door. I wasn't sure whether I was happy about the timing or upset. A few moments later, I would have been dead…"

"So Asuramaru was the Reaper, damn…" I clicked my tongue, annoyed that of all the Reapers: it was him, who went after Yuu's soul.

Cocking his head to the side, "Asura…maru?"

"Asuramaru is Krul's older brother… I've only met him four times and each time, he complained and pulled pranks nonstop until Krul gave him permission to transfer to another region," I shuddered at the memories of the childish elder and his antics.

I watched as he lowered his gaze, "So I guess asking him is out of the question…"

"Yeah, but I'm sure once Krul finds out which Reaper first came after your soul, she will drag her brother back here" If Asuramaru had one weakness, it was his little sister even if he openly admitted that she was annoying all the time.

* * *

 **Csilla: I came up with so many headcanons, thanks to this fic (if you are curious/want a list of them tell me &I will post them)**

 **& if I see anyone use them, I will blush~ xD**

 **(now Kris will do just that to get back at me for the fluff I just posted, lol)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Csilla: Like did I kill everyone off with the last update? Or is everyone busy? Oh well, I'm updating anyways so hopefully I get a bunch of feedback to feed the plot bunnies~ :D**

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It's been a month since I've seen any Reaper, occasionally I found myself wondering if Krul had given up on getting Yuu's soul. As soon as that thought entered my mind, I quickly dismissed it. No way in hell that Krul would ever give up on a soul. For any reason.

Today I found myself in the same position as the day before: home alone while Yuu was at class. Unfortunately, in my time away, I had missed out on the chance to apply for my next set of classes and when I attempted to take whatever was still open, I was told that there wasn't any space left for any of the classes I needed to take.

I sighed, at least Yuu would be home soon then we would be able to talk more about the situation. There was still so much we needed to talk about. Things that needed to be clarified. Things that needed-

A loud, but short, knock at the door pulled me away from my inner musings and I had to check the clock, wondering if Yuu had possibly forgotten his key this morning. The clock read: half past three, meaning it wasn't likely my roommate.

"Coming…" I groaned, standing up from my spot on the couch and heading over to answer the door.

When I opened it I was met by a familiar voice: "Wow, so the rumors are true… Krul's favorite Reaper is really living among the humans…" _Lacus._

My eyes immediately narrowed as I asked, "What are you doing here?" before glancing for any sign of Rene, but when I saw none – panic set in.

Rene and Lacus were a package deal – where you saw one, the other was nearby. When they weren't together, it meant trouble.

Tossing his hands in the air, "Look, Mika… I'm here of my own free will to give you a heads-up on your friend-"

I swiftly cut him off by wrapping my hands around his neck before growling in a low voice: "What did you do to Yuu? For your sake, you better not have harmed him in any way…"

"If you let me finish…" He pried my hands just far enough away for his words to come out without needing to be forced before continuing: "We were sent to retrieve him… but we haven't harmed him. Rene only put him to sleep… I swear we didn't harm him… but we're not the ones you have to worry about… Krul,"

At the mention of her name, I released him before dropping my hands to my side and listened as Lacus went on: "Krul's the one who ordered us to bring him to Purgatory and also," his eyes raised until they met mine, "word around there is that Asuramaru is back… Any idea why?"

Instead of answering his question, I opted for asking my own: "Why are telling me all this?"

His red eyes widened, surprise evident on his features before it disappeared: "The three of us became Reapers around the same age… So who knows, maybe some part of me considers us friends or something," Lacus shrugged, placing a hand on his hip, "How about you follow us back?"

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 **Csilla: I realized when I read the last chapter to my muse over dining, I accidentally left a 'ouo' between two things of dialogue (I'm going through both FF & AO3 to fix it)**

 **I do have a headcanon about Lacus's relationship with Mika and if you didn't completely understand through this chapter: Despite how he acts towards Mika, Lacus actually does consider them 'sort of' friends.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Csilla: Enjoy?**

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When we arrived, Lacus quietly explained that Yuu was being held in one of the cells on the lower levels. I nodded before heading there; the lower levels of Purgatory once held Reapers, who broke the law, but since Krul took over there was no need. She threaten to kill anyone who broke any of the Reaper's laws.

I descended the steps as quickly as I could, any powers I used would leave me open to be found by Krul. I turned a corner towards the end of the stairwell to arrive at a hallway with iron bars on both sides. Not sure whether I was alone down here, I kept quiet and instead walked down, glancing to both sides for any sign of Yuu. A human doesn't belong here, if anything living does spend too much time here: they will burn through whatever remaining time they have and die.

Muffled noises that almost resembled voices finally entered my ears and I felt my chest leap, I picked up my pace towards the voices. I stopped outside a cell and inside I found Asuramaru walking over to someone.

"Yuuichiro Amane, right? No, you're Yuuichiro Hyakuya now, aren't you?" He spoke to the other person in the cell and the moment he spoke Yuu's name, I spoke up.

"Yuu!" Both of them whipped around in surprise.

Asuramaru was the first to recover from the shock of my arrival, he stepped to the side which allowed me to rush over to Yuu's side and wrap my arms around him protectively. His eyes followed me and didn't leave even as I glared up at him, silently threatening him not to harm Yuu or else.

"Yuuichiro, I want to apologize for the hell I've put you through… I was sure that my little sister wouldn't find out about you," I'm sure my shock was plainly written on my face as I listened to his apology because he laughed before adding: "You two should leave… It's Mikaela, right? You need to leave with him…"

I really didn't need him, of all people, to tell me that, but nonetheless I nodded my head in agreement. I stood up, dragging Yuu to his feet in the process, but as I went to leave Yuu suddenly spoke up: "Why didn't you take my soul that day?"

"Would you be upset if I said 'I lost a bet'?" He chuckled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants, before adding: "Mikaela, let's test your knowledge… what has the ability to breathe life into the human world?"

"Angels," I replied, my mind wondering over to an earlier conversation I had had with Yuu.

"Exactly, but as many Reapers know – we aren't on good terms with those glowing bastards, but of course we have to have some sort of common ground so we can discuss the fate of a human's soul once it has been reaped" It was strange how mature he sounded, it didn't fit with the childish antics I expected every time I saw him, "There is a small number of Angels that we, Reapers, actually deal with. This group also happens to be quite high among the ranks of the Angels, especially one in particular… though I'm sure you've never actually seen or met him in your time spent here. Kiseki-O, for a lack of better words, he is the head honcho among the Angels. He also happens to be the reason young Yuuichiro is still alive… The night you were supposed to die, Kiseki-O interrupted my reaping so he could collect on the little bet we had,"

"What was the bet about?" I glanced at Yuu in disbelief; that's what he wants to know?! No anger about having the fate of his soul decided on by a likely childish bet.

Asuramaru laughed, "I made a bet with Kiseki-O that the next time we were both in the human world that I could eat fifty buffalo wings in thirty minutes,"

I literally felt my IQ drop and my irritation rise as his words sank in: as expected over something so juvenile, Yuu's soul got decided upon. A hand landing on my shoulder, squeezing just slightly, brought me away from my frustration and over to the small smile on Yuu's face.

"So what happened next that night?" He asked, bringing the previous topic back.

Scratching the back of his head in thought, Asuramaru pushed on with his story: "Let's see… Oh, yeah! Before Mikaela arrived, we talked a little about how you were able to see me despite still being alive so for his clarification… Since Yuuichiro was at death's door, I'm not surprised that he could see me and to be honest, I didn't know when Kiseki-O would collect on his winnings, so to speak. I'm not sure if you recall, but just before your mother killed you: the doorbell rung and as your mother left to tend to that, Kiseki-O appeared. He forced me to give up on your soul and in your stead gave me another, which was going to be born into the human world anyways. He told me that after I was done with my report to send the soul back into the world so he or another Angel could let it be reborn. Now I had brought it to his attention that in order for your soul to remain unharmed by any Reaper that might come across you, Kiseki-O would have to do something about your clock. Sadly I have no further information about how your clock became so distorted except ask an Angel when you come across one,"

"I see… How can we find one?" Yuu asked, but I was too distracted to hear whether Asuramaru actually replied. In the distance I could hear voices and footsteps, we had to leave now or risk fighting our way out.

I grabbed Yuu's hand, "C'mon we have to go" before dragging him until we were almost running.

"Not so fast~" Those three words were the only warning I got from a voice I knew all too well. My gaze immediately went over to Yuu, whose eyes widened and terror etched itself onto his features as he gaped at me.

Next I felt the pain in my chest while blood spilled from my mouth, my own eyes followed his vibrant green eyes until they stopped on the blade that was sunk into my chest. On the other end was Krul, a slight manic look to her expression, as she pushed the blade further inside. I let go of his hand and gripped the blade, trying to pull it out or at the very least, stop its movement.

"Did you know Yuuichiro Hyakuya that Reapers cannot normally die, no matter how much you stab them? Even in the human world, the best that can be done sending them back to Purgatory… but there is a way to kill a Reaper. To erase them so not even their soul remains... A leader, such as myself, has the ability to wipe them from existence. Want to see?" As she spoke, a sadistic smile spread on her face. This was it. I wouldn't be able to save Yuu. I wouldn't be able to do anything with Kimizuki's soul.

I felt my vision fading and a chilling feeling of nothingness coming over me, I felt my body growing limp. Yuu's voice was the only thing I could hear and for a brief moment I wondered if it would be lame to confess how I felt about him right here before I ceased to exist.

"I love you, Yuu…" I'm not sure if the words came out or if I merely said it in my head, but some part of me felt he had heard me.

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 **Csilla: Please remember, I listen to a playlist so let's blame it instead of me for THIS ROLLER COASTER OF FEELS! ;A;**

 **Kidding~ you can blame me. I do, lol**


	17. Chapter 17

**Csilla: I really do love this pairing, I swear! Why do they inspire me to write such angst & fluff AT THE SAME TIME?! IN THE SAME FIC?!**

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A sudden sharp pain in my chest and air painfully stabbed at my throat as I gasped, immediately I heard Yuu crying. I pried my eyes open, just slow enough to avoid the tears falling from his closed eyes. He must have sensed some movement on my part because soon his eyes opened and his tears seemed to have paused in their movements.

"M-Mika…?" I could see the disbelief in the vibrant green eyes I loved before warmth flooded them and a relieved smile spread across his face, "Thank god! I thought she killed you, but then those guys showed up and said if you really wanted to live, you could… but then," tears started falling again and before I could reach up to comfort him, Yuu suddenly hugged me: "then you wouldn't wake up and I was scared you were going to leave me behind..." the rest of his words became choked sobs; my hand reached, only to rest on the back on his head.

I was alive, but how? My gaze traveled over to Krul, standing before three figures clad in black. I recognized one, almost immediately, his short yellow-green hair cut nicely just below his ears and the long black horns that could easily mistake him as a Reaper: Kiseki-O, the current leader of the Angels residing in Japan.

I was distracted wondering why an Angel of his caliber is in Purgatory that I didn't hear one of the other black-clad figures walking over to me. I did, however, notice when they knelt down near me. I glanced over to find myself face-to-face with a brunette, who no older than eleven!

"Hello, would you mind if I saw your wound?" Despite her appearance, I couldn't help but think that she likely died at a young age and became an Angel years ago. She acted far too old for eleven.

I nodded slightly before giving Yuu a gentle push so he could release me, after a solid minute of ignoring me, he did just that. Sitting with his face lowered until his bangs covered any expression he held, I sighed before turning back to the Angel: "So what now?"

"I ask that the two of talk… to distract yourself. The process off healing a Reaper's injury is painful, at best" She explained, motioning towards the area between myself and Yuu, "Just pretend I'm not here..."

I clicked my tongue before turning to face Yuu as she went straight to work on taking off my bloodied uniform shirt. She positioned herself behind me, her hands on each side of the exit wound left by Krul's weapon.

"Yuu..." I began, although I wasn't even sure what I should talk about to distract myself from the growing burning sensation spreading across my back and onto my chest.

Clearing her throat, "I think what Reaper-boy wants to know if you heard him when he said that he loves you, human..."

I'm felt my face heat up as I bit out, "Aren't you supposed to be doing your job?"

"Do you want me to make it more painful?" She mocked, slightly increasing the temperature of the sensation for a moment.

I bite down my next retort and opted instead to focus back on Yuu, who after the Angel's remark had raised his head just enough so our eyes made slight contact. I watched his mouth open and if I weren't waiting, I'm sure I would have missed the small question he posed: "Did you mean it?"

"I suppose there's no point in hiding it anymore," glancing to the side, "I did mean it," I heard him take a sharp inhale before he spoke.

"Then tell me again, this time without looking away or while you're dying..." Our eyes met as per his request and this time I didn't pull away as I confessed what I had been keeping secret for roughly the last month.

"I'm in love with you, Yuuichiro Hyakuya, and I know that being a Reaper sent to take one of your best friend's souls give me no right to feel this way. And I understand if you don't feel the same, but-"

"No 'but's Mika," I felt panic set in, this was going to be the moment when Yuu rejects me. Not that I can blame him. A Reaper, who has been death for nine years, just confesses that he loves you, another boy. Yeah, a rejection is the most likely ending. Even still, despite my inner musings, I never pulled my gaze away from his and finally he continued on: "I want you to tell me all that without the underlying notion that you think I won't accept what you have to say,"

"Wait, what?"

"I believe your human buddy here, wants you to tell him you _love_ him without sounding like an insecure school girl~" She chimed in, clearly amused to have a front row seat to something like this.

I glared back at her, "And you stay out of this," before turning my attention back to Yuu. I was irritated with this and without hesitation I re-did my confession: "Yuu, I love you! Happy?"

There was silence as my words filled the air around us and suddenly it didn't matter that Krul had heard me. It didn't matter that my back and chest felt like someone had lit them on fire. It didn't matter that Asuramaru was mocking me as Kiseki-O snickered at his impersonation. None that matter because the smile that spread on Yuu's face was the only thing that mattered.

"I love you too, Mika"

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 **Csilla: IT HAPPENED! THE CONFESSION WE ALL KNEW WAS GOING TO HAPPEN HAPPENED!**

 **HAPPY ENDING, RIGHT?**

 **-cough- there's still a few more chapters~ ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Csilla: Well, since I've been writing so much -still hasn't decided which one to run with- I will update Armor, which is almost over :)**

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What happened next felt like a blur, Kiseki-O explained to us the rest of Yuu's story: "Well after Asuramaru explained that your buddy here would still be on the Reaper's list… I ordered Mahiru," motioning to the third person clad in black, "to give you a sort of rebirth… Meaning Yuuichiro Amane is dead and Yuuichiro Hyakuya is who you are now, don't forget that. As for the soul, Asuramaru turned in and later allowed to be reborn into the human realm, you might remember him… Taichi, he was an orphan around the same time as you… Anyways, now that I've explained myself: I would like you to answer one of my questions,"

"Shoot,"

"We've been keeping an eye on you since you were twelve and something has been bothering me, but until Reaper-boy showed up… I couldn't be sure until then, so how-How did you see him in his natural form?"

Even I had to admit, the thought about how Yuu knew I wasn't like him had crossed my mind, but I was afraid to ask. How had he seen me? He's very much alive...

"I saw him, dressed like he is now… stabbing what appeared to be translucent people through the chest," Yuu replied with very much the same answer he gave me at the apartment.

Kiseki-O seemed to understand better than I did at what Yuu's response meant, he nodded his head: "I see… Let me ask you: would you like to lose the ability accidentally given to you, to see Reapers and Angels?"

Wait, lose the ability- That means he won't be able to see me! Asshole! My anger was boiling to the surface, but before I could release it, Yuu asked: "And if I say no?"

A smirk broke on Kiseki-O's face, "Let me rephrase that: you're going to lose that silly little ability that has made it possible for you a living human to find out about our existence,"

"Wait, isn't there another way?" I really didn't want to lose Yuu, especially not like this! I could maybe handle if Yuu had been forced to become a Reaper. Or hell even an Angel, but to continue living and never seeing each other again. That's worse!

"Look Reaper-boy, there isn't. Yuuichiro Hyakuya is supposed to live until he's an old man, unaware that Reapers and Angels actually exist… Now because of a certain someone, we cannot erase his knowledge of us..." Kiseki-O concluded with a slight wave of his wrist, two blades connected by a chain appeared in his hands: "Now this won't hurt… when you wake up, you won't be able to seen any of us" He raised his blades and in one swift motion -before even I could react- he slashed effortlessly across Yuu's chest.

I watched as the light left his eyes and his body shifted before he dropped, I kicked off the spot where I stood and caught him before he hit the ground. I cradled his head against my chest as I glared up at Kiseki-O, I knew he had no choice. It made perfect sense that a living human shouldn't know about the existence of Reapers and Angels, but still – This was Yuu, he's known about me for a while. Why didn't they act sooner? Why wait until I finally have the courage to tell him how I feel?

"What's your name, Reaper?" I heard Kiseki-O ask, pulling me from my inner turmoil.

I stared up defiantly before I replied, "It's Mikaela,"

Raising his weapons again, "Well Mikaela, its time for your punishment… It's a long standing rule that Reapers and Angel aren't allowed to fall in love with a living being-"

"So you're going to kill me after you just had one of your lackey heal me, is that right?" I spat out angrily, careful not to disturb Yuu who slept in my arms.

Instead of responding immediately, Kiseki-O smiled and stared down at me with an unreadable expression: "When I'm done, you might wish I had killed you…" he explained before pausing for a mere moment, "Akane, take the human and bring back to his world. Asuramaru, you don't mind if I clip him of his powers, do you?"

"Go ahead, like you said… he fell for a human-" Asuramaru spoke as the brunette, who had healed me, grabbed Yuu away from me.

"Bastard!" I growled at him, cutting him off, which surprised him enough so that he began explaining himself.

"Uh, Mikaela… Listen, I don't think you-" Again he found himself cut off, but not by me.

Kiseki-O directed his attention off of the Reaper elder and back onto me, "Whether you like it or not, you will be stripped of your powers meaning you won't be able to travel between worlds… Now say your goodbyes,"

"Never..." That was the last thing I remember before he swung his blades and I hit the ground with a resounding thud.

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 **Csilla: There are two chapter left, but this is Mika's last chapter... Yes, the last two chapters will be from Yuu-chan's point of view~ ouo**


	19. Chapter 19

**Csilla: So how did you like the ending of that last chapter? Does anyone want to beat me senseless for that ending? 8D**

 **I know... I know... I'm sorry(-ish) for it, lol**

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I guess now it's my turn to tell you _my_ side of this story...

I have a secret. Not that _that_ is anything out of the ordinary: everyone has secrets. Kimizuki kept his terminally ill sister from us for months until we unfortunately found out by following him. Needless to say, we were caught that same day. Shinoa and her tense relationship with her family. Yoichi and his sister's death. I had told all of them about my troubled childhood, but there was something about that that I was keeping quiet about.

I was born Yuuichiro Amane to two wealthy business-oriented people. My parents. A kid just didn't fit into their plan. Their life. Their abuse was really all I knew –I never knew 'love' existed within a family until seven months after that cold December night. That cold night was my first memory of the warmth a real family had, although it took me years before I realized why that night was so important to me.

The night began with my mother wrapping her hands around my throat, squeezing and I was sure this was the end. Tonight would be the night, my misery would end. I would no longer be a demon child. No longer would I be unwanted. I would just be dead. This next part I never told anyone about, mostly because I barely believed it myself for the longest time, but as my vision was fading I saw something. I saw someone. A boy, my age, with long hair, pointed ears, and red eye. I could still recall the devilish grin he gave me, showing his fangs. If I wasn't being strangled, I'm sure I would have been scared for my life. I watched as he walked closer to us –my mother seemed not to have noticed his presences- while my vision grew darker and darker. Then suddenly my throat wasn't being constricted, I felt my limp body drop to the ground and shudder as air began filling my lungs painfully. My head pulsed and far away, I could hear my mother talking to someone at the front door. I wasn't sure whether I was happy about the timing or upset. A few moments later, I would have been dead. I turned my head to where I last saw the boy, but he wasn't there. Had I imagined it? I told myself that was likely the answer...

The cops swarmed my home and soon, I was escorted out and later brought to Hyakuya Orphanage, a small home and despite my cold greeting I was met with affection. Seven months later, I adopted to last name, finally ridding myself of my old name. My old life.

Yuuichiro Hyakuya was loved. He had siblings that looked up to him and a woman, who loved him more than his parents ever had. Or were capable of. Yuuichiro Hyakuya had done the impossible and gone to college on his own, without causing any difficulties for the orphanage. He had made what felt like life-long friends –although they could be complete asses at his expense. Yuuichiro Hyakuya had not only met Mikaela Shindo, but he had fallen for him.

My life may have not started off on the best foot, but it sure found its way there.

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 **Csilla: Originally chapter 19 was going to be an overview from Yuu's POV, but it was becoming incredibly boring to write and my laptop would freeze up and go back a page erasing what I had written... this was the only part I liked (and originally had before I started)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Csilla: Well this is the end, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and alerts (and future ones from future readers) :D**

 **NOW ONTO ALL MY OTHER MIKAYUU FICS! :D**

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It's been a month since I was kidnapped to Purgatory and I have yet to see any Reapers, just like that man said. Maybe I really had lost the ability to see any of them. Including Mika.

The thought of my blond-haired roommate/crush seemed to weight heavy on my mind as I curled my knees up closer to my chest. Would I ever be able to see him again? If only people would start dying then-

My head shot up as the thought occurred to me, "What the hell am I thinking?!" I groaned, shaking my head in an attempt to physical rid myself of that thought. Mika hated being a Reaper so there's no way he would happy constantly reaping just to see me. I wouldn't like it under those circumstances either.

There was a soft knock at the door and I felt my chest leap at the thought it could possibly be Mika, but upon opening the door my disappointment wrote itself on my face. Shinoa's smiling face was on the other side and with it a teasing remark: "My~ you weren't expecting your beloved Mika, were you?"

"Shaddup..." I sighed, slightly irritated with how obvious I was making things for her as I headed back to my spot on the couch.

Humming a tuneless melody, she followed me inside -making an attempt to actually shut the door closed- before taking a spot in one of the chairs across from me. I waited for her to start talking, but when minutes passed I spoke up: "Aren't you going to tell me to get over _my little heartbreak that never stood a chance since we were both too stupid to confess to one another_?"

Instead of mocking me, she asked: "Should I?" under her breath as her gaze met mine. In all the time I've known Shinoa, when she's not teasing someone it usually means she's honestly trying to make someone feel better.

Regardless I went on, "Yeah... You and Mitsu were constantly on mine and Mika's ass about being in love with each other... and you know what, we confessed and look at what happened... separated! I'll never be able to see him again... all I have left are memories," and by the end, I was trying not to break down into sobs but failing miserably at it.

Shinoa didn't say anything, instead I watched through watery eyes as she got up off the chair and took a few steps closer before kneeling down in front of me. Before I could say anything she wrapped her arms around me until my head rested on her shoulder, whispering: "I'm sorry, Yuu..."

Any defense I had crumbled away as she apologized; "You guys were right... I loved Mika... and he loved me back... so why can't we be together?"

"Sometimes," forcing some distance between us so she could look up and meet my eyes, "love isn't always the easiest things and it makes you choose between thing that you've always known and the love you cannot help but feel... I'm sure that its the same in yours and Mika's case,"

I wiped away what tears remained on my face before quietly thanking her and as expected her mood flipped: "Well~ now that you finally got it all out in the open... You owe us dinner~"

"Wait, what?!" And just like that we were back to our usual banter.

Feigning a hurt expression, "but Yuu~ you locked yourself in here for a month... not wanting to speak to any of us... if it weren't for my feminine charm, this would have lasted until next month"

"What feminine charm?" That earned me a harsh glare that I learned early in our friendship meant 'danger', so giving in I asked: "So what am I getting for dinner?"

Smiling, "Pizza~ now go and get it," Shinoa quickly ran behind me and pushed me out the door -which I had to quickly open before I was smashed against the wooden surface- before shutting promptly behind us.

I stuffed my hands in my pocket, resigning to my fate, and headed outside. I couldn't really argue with her demand since I _had_ locked myself in my apartment for the past month. I had to narrow my eyes; the sun was way too bright for four in the evening. Luckily the pizza shop we always went to was only a five minute walk from our apartment complex, which meant I wouldn't have to deal with being outside for very long.

I kept my head slightly lowered so my bangs hid my eyes from wandering eyes and the violent sunlight as I walked a few blocks, weaving myself through the crowd of people until I was at the edge and just outside the pizza shop. I put our usual order in before taking a seat on a bench inside, crossing my arms across my chest I could help but wonder how Mika was doing. Was he watching over me? Or was he also not allowed to see me? Was he suffering just as much as me?

"Hyakuya, your order..." I stood up to pick up my order from the counter, offering a short thanks before heading back out.

The crowd on the sidewalk had lessened so the trip back was easier and less congested, but -and I did everything I could convince myself otherwise- I could have sworn I felt someone's eyes on me. A couple times I glanced around, but after almost dropping the food I decided it was likely my imagination, even if I barely believed that white lie.

When I finally arrived at the apartment complex, there was a taxi parked outside and the driver seemed to be talking to the person inside. I walked past it, heading up the stairs, and ignored how my heart sped up as if telling me I should look to see who was in the taxi. I couldn't. I didn't want to imagine Mika's old place being taken by someone else.

I was nearly the front door, briefly wondering how I was going to get rung in when I heard footsteps climbing the stairs after me. Great, I'll have to actually talk with this person! Before I could explain which one to press, two ivory-toned fingers pressed both Mitsuba's and Shinoa's buttons before moving to press mine and Yoichi's. I turned my gaze was met with the bluest pair of eyes, and I couldn't breathe. There in front of me stood-

"Hello, my name is Mikaela Shindo... I'm looking for a place to crash, you wouldn't happen to know someone looking for a roommate, would you?" There was a knowing look in his expression as he spoke and I backed up just enough to take in what had to be a figment of my broken heart, but still there he was.

The front door buzzed and he opened the door, holding it for me to follow. After I did, my questions started falling out of my mouth: "What are you doing here? Does Krul know? What about the Angels? How can I see you? How long are you staying?"

"Calm down, Yuu" He chuckled, god that chuckle. It really is Mika. He really is standing in front of me.

I lowered my face to hide the tears threatening to spill, but that was cut short when I felt warm fingers guide my face back up before I felt myself pulled into an embrace. Well as close to an embrace as possible with a pizza box in between us. I felt him nuzzle his face closer to my ear before he whispered: "I'm sorry, Yuu... I promise I will tell you everything now,"

His arms dropped and he stepped back before he continued: "After you lost the ability to see any of us, Kiseki-O went on to say I had to be punished for falling in love with a human. I didn't understand, he had just had one of the other Angels heal me so why kill me? I was angry and I wasn't understanding anything he was saying nor when Asuramaru agreed with the punishment of losing my powers. That's right, I'm not a Reaper anymore. Asuramaru tried to explain, but I wouldn't hear any of it. I didn't want to lose seeing you forever. I didn't want to be stuck in Purgatory forever. So when I woke up in a hospital, I had no idea who I was. Or why I was there until a nurse came in. She told me that I had been brought in after being in a car accident and that my name was Mikaela Shindo. Throughout this past month, I started remembering things, but the first thing I remembered-"

Hurried footsteps interrupted Mika's explanation, but I didn't care. I wanted to hear what it was that he remembered first: "What was it?"

Blue eyes met mine before he leaned in, "...that I loved Yuuichiro Hyakuya," and planted his lips on mine. I was lost in bliss that wasn't cut short even when Shinoa made a loud remark about it being _about time_ before both her and Mitsuba began complaining about the food.

Mika broke the kiss with a laugh, "Sorry so we're having pizza, huh? Our place like always, right?" before taking the food from my hands and heading over to the girls. He glanced back at my unmoving form: "Are you coming, Yuu?"

I couldn't help, but think that this was how things should be before I replied: "Yeah, I'm coming..."

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 ***** **EXTRA** *****

"So if you're not a Reaper anymore then what are you?" Mika glanced over at me and for a moment I wondered if my question seemed rude. Everyone had left for the night and it had been bothering me throughout dinner.

Sitting down beside me, "Well... if I go by what I have gathered since I woke up, I'm human again. Don't ask how because I'm clueless... Or at least I was until I took that damn taxi,"

"You mean the one that was parked outside when I got home?"

"Yeah, although you wouldn't have been able to see it but I wasn't alone in that taxi... Aside from the driver there was one other person in there. The whole ride he tormented me saying he knew something that I didn't. And no matter how much I asked him to tell me, he said since I am the reason his sister ("Wait, Kimizuki?" my question was later answered as Mika continued) is, to summarize his lecture, _without her precious_ older brother," I couldn't help but to double over as his impersonation of our friend. Somehow hearing that Kimizuki was still himself even after death made me feel lighter...

Calming myself enough to talk without laughing, "So I guess a decision on Kimizuki's soul was made?" I asked, earning an interesting look -that could only be described as disbelief that I would even ask something like that as if he were asking about the weather. Like it was a normal thing to discuss- from my roommate.

"Yeah... Asuramaru turned him into a Reaper, apparently... According to what he told me, Asuramaru took over Krul's spot and gave him special privileges to travel down to the human realm to see his Mirai whenever he wants. As for my situation, Kiseki-O stripped me of all my Reaper powers meaning I will age like a normal human, but I have no idea what will happen when its _my time_ to die... or even if I actually can since I, well you know..." He explained, summarizing what I could only assumed he had been told throughout the taxi ride.

I leaned against him before letting my head drop onto his shoulder, "I guess we'll just have to wait to find out then,"

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 **Csilla: If anyone is curious, I had two strong plot bunnies that I was debating on...**

 **1 - a cop!Mika AU that I wrote oneshots for during MikaYuu week**

 **2 - a Beauty & Beast (with a twist, of course) [a not-so spoiler: Mika gets mistaken as a girl!]**

 **WAS being the keyword. I'm going to start posting my new MikaYuu fic tomorrow or Sunday... Probably tomorrow :D**


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